Nightfall
by Rainfox88
Summary: Pre-RE1,AU. Claire comes home to visit Chris for the holidays but gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse with Albert Wesker after discovering secrets she shouldn't know. She can't call the law; he is the law, and she can't tell Chris. She is trapped...
1. Chapter 1: Coming Home

**Nightfall**

**Disclaimer: **Again, I do not own Resident Evil or Capcom or any of its creators. This is solely a work of fan-made fiction. Now, on to the story! I present to you, my newest WeskerxClaire multi-chapter story! :3

* * *

**Chapter 1: Coming Home**

The snow was truly beautiful. The holiday lights reflected off its whiteness in a sea of glittering colors. The sky was so dark, rolling in with more snow to come. The lights of Raccoon City were coming up, and Claire Redfield was glad to see them. She was taking a bus from Denver to get here. Her motorcycle was up for the winter, and her brother couldn't leave work to come and get her. It wasn't uncommon for them to be busy during the holidays.

Claire checked her wristwatch for the time. It was almost seven in the evening. Chris should be at the bus depot waiting for her. The bus was crowded and stuffy, and she was ready to get off. She had a small bag sitting beside her, but her main suitcase was in the cargo hold of the Greyhound bus. She was bundled up for the cold outside. Claire was an autumn person. She loved the colors and the mild weather. The winter was a little too much for her, but she did indeed enjoy the snow. It was the best part of winter.

She had her auburn hair down, something she normally didn't do. She wore a blue scarf, as well as a white jacket over her dark blue tight shirt. She also had on her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of brown boots.

Claire was relieved to hear the screech of the breaks as the vehicle was parked at the depot. Claire proceeded to get off with the other riders and get her bags. It didn't take her long to find Chris. His breath came out in puffs, and he wore a large black coat over his STARS uniform. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Chris!" she exclaimed. She came over, hugging him.

He returned the hug, and also took her bags for her. "How's my little sister?"

"I didn't enjoy the bus ride too much, but I am glad to be off from college for awhile and stay with you."

Chris frowned. "Yeah, sorry I couldn't come pick you up. Normally, Wesker is good about letting me off to go get you, but we've been so busy."

"It's fine. I know you guys get busy this time of the year."

"So, how about we go get some grub and then we can head home?" Chris asked.

Claire smiled at her older brother, nodding. "Sounds good to me!"

Chris guided her to his parked truck, a dark green 1995 Dodge Ram extended cab 4x4. He unlocked it, putting her bags in the back seat and they climbed in. He drove to one of their favorite places to eat in Raccoon City. It didn't look like much, just a small restaurant called Emmy's Diner. The restaurant looked similar to a railroad dining car on the outside, but on the inside was set up to look more like a normal restaurant.

The two sat down at a booth and looked through the menus while catching up. Claire hadn't seen Chris in over a month, and she was glad to be able to sit down and talk. They ordered their food and told stories about how they were doing. Claire didn't forget to mention about all the college finals and assignments she had just finished to be able to get back here. She could tell that Chris was tired from all the overtime, but he was lively now talking to her.

"So how are the guys? Oh and how's Jill?" Claire asked, laughing softly. She had met most of Chris's fellow STARS members when they were off of work and hanging out. The only one she had never met was the captain himself, Albert Wesker. Of course, she heard all about him from not only Chris but the others as well.

"Everyone's good," Chris chuckled. "Just getting ready for the holidays. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only twenty days away. I still need to do some gift shopping. How long will you be down again?"

"I have to go back January 10th," Claire stated. "So, do you have all the decorations up?"

Chris snorted, waving her off. "You kidding? I saved all of that for you!"

Claire slightly glared at him. "Great, we can do it together."

"Can Jill come over and help?"

"No, Chris, she can't," Claire replied with snide. "Well duh, ya goof! It's your house and you know Jill and I get along great."

"Eat your food," Chris joked, trying to sound like a parent.

"I got a fork and I am not afraid to use it," she chuckled.

They took their time eating and enjoying each other's company. Chris paid for the meal and they left afterwards. Chris drove home, pulling into his driveway in Raccoon City suburbia. It wasn't much, just a two bedroom, one bath house with a small fenced in backyard and cemented driveway with a small overhang for his truck. Ironically, Jill only lived three houses up. Chris had also told her that Wesker lived a few blocks up, where all the fancy, larger properties were.

Chris took her bags to her room. Claire decided to wait to unpack, and just sat down in the living room to chat with Chris some more. She knew he would need to go to bed soon for his early shift tomorrow.

"I'm gonna go in with Jill so you can have the truck to drive around tomorrow," Chris stated, tossing her his keys.

She caught him. "You sure? I probably won't go anywhere."

"Well, you never know. Also, the phones will most likely be busy at work so you may have to come to the precinct if you need me for something."

She slowly nodded. "Alright, but I should be fine. I'm a grown woman you know."

"Hey, you just turned nineteen so don't give me that," Chris warned, pointing at her with a grin.

"Fine, fine," Claire sighed, holding up her hands in defeat and rolling her eyes. "So, does this mean I don't get any of Chris's Awesome Breakfast?"

"That's right. We'll have to do that Saturday morning. Sorry, sis."

"Just don't stress yourself out too much, okay?" Claire sighed. "You do this every year when you have to work all these hours. I worry about you sometimes."

"I'll be fine, don't you worry," Chris answered, smiling softly. "We'll slow down again real soon."

"I still don't think it's right for you to work all these crazy hours," Claire grumbled. "I should have a good talk with that Chief Irons of yours."

Chris chuckled softly. "If only it was Chief Irons who was making us work all these hours. All of us could easily work out something with his fat ass. No, Captain Wesker is making us work all these hours."

"I thought you said he was pretty lenient when you needed to get off to come get me?" Claire asked, giving him a look.

"Well, he usually is, but we are busy, and Wesker couldn't let me go because we were short. Barry and Enrico took vacation days today."

"I still should have a talk with him."

"Uh, no you don't. He can be pretty scary."

Claire gave him a dull look. "Scary? C'mon, Chris. You're just saying that because he is your boss."

"Yeah, so don't embarrass me! It's taken me a long time to prove myself as one of the best to him! Don't screw it up!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh," sighed Claire. "Really, you guys act as though this guy ranks higher than Irons."

"He pretty much does in our books," Chris chuckled, looking up at the time. "The whole STARS team holds more respect for Wesker than anyone ever would for dip shit Irons. He's a good leader."

He came over and ruffled her hair. She glared up at his goofy grin. "Well, I better go get ready for bed. You know where everything is at. Remember, if you need something and can't get through by phone, you will probably have to come by the RPD. Unless it is an emergency, then you know the line for that."

"Yes, yes, bro. I'm not a kid."

"But you're my little sister, and even when you are fifty I'm gonna treat you like this," Chris joked.

The siblings hugged and Chris went to get ready for bed. Claire decided it would be a good time to get unpacked and sit down on her bed to read a book. Chris would be gone until the evening tomorrow, so she would have the house to herself. Maybe she would use the truck to go pick up some Christmas decorations for them to get started on. Oh, and she would definitely need to go get a tree.

Claire was relieved to finally be able to forget about school for awhile and enjoy some time with family and friends down here. Her small break for Thanksgiving proved to be stressful for her and Chris since she didn't have much time. Now, Claire had almost six weeks off to enjoy everything down here in Raccoon City.

She twitched a smile as she unpacked at the thought. She looked outside the nearby window, and saw that more fluffy snowflakes were falling from the dark sky, only being illuminated by the nearby street lamps.

She could feel it in her bones. This winter break was going to what she was craving for awhile. Something she needed, something she would never forget.

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**A/N: So there is the first, short chapter! Those who know me know that my first few chapters are short but get longer as the story progresses! Yes, the diner Chris and Claire went to eat at was the same diner from Resident Evil 2 when Claire bumped into Leon and they get into the cop car! :) I'm clever like that, oh irony! Remember, this story is an AU! Also remember this is Pre-RE1! So that means right here we are at the end of the year 1997. Resident Evil 1 happens in summer of 1998! That means older vehicles, technology, and no cell phones! I say this because I started writing them with cell phones and then I realized...hey they didn't have cell phones really back then! XD Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the next chapter! This story is going to take Illusion's place when that story is finished! Thanks! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

**Chapter 2: The Meeting**

The next few days seemed to pass by with a blur. Claire pretty much had the house to herself until Chris came home in the evenings. She had spent her time going downtown to shop for Christmas decorations and gifts, and also picked up a real tree at a farm outside of the city. The one night Chris had gotten off early they spent putting the decorations up, as well as the tree. Jill showed up awhile later to help them with decorating the tree and house.

She looked tired; much like Chris did from all the overtime, and complained about the infinite stack of paperwork on her desk. The three decided to go out for dinner afterwards. They went to one of the better bistros uptown to enjoy a relaxing dinner.

"So, Claire how have you been?" Jill asked.

"Well, I was going to say very busy from school, but you guys looked as though you've been dragged by a horse. So, I will just go with I am doing fine."

Jill laughed. "Thanks. It's always busy this time of the year. Not only is it our time to catch up on stacks of paperwork, but this time of year also has more crimes to deal with."

"Oh, and I have to go in at freaking three in the morning," Chris groaned, slapping his forehead.

"You're not the only one," Jill sighed.

"Three? But you've been going in at five already, and that's earlier than your normal shift as it is!" Claire stated, looking between them.

Their food arrived shortly after that. The three ate their meals, talking about upcoming Christmas and New Years as well as Claire's dealings with college and Chris and Jill's work. Jill parted ways from them after Chris paid for the meal, saying she had to go pick up a few things.

Chris drove him and Claire home. He immediately prepared for bed. Claire watched him walk over to her while she sat on the couch. He had showered, brushed his teeth, and looked ready to drop dead.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow."

"Going in at three in the morning is insane," Claire grumbled.

"Hey, the good news is I should get off earlier," Chris weakly chuckled. "Goodnight sis."

"Night, Chris."

* * *

Claire was relieved the lights looked great outside the house. The white and blue lights danced in a pattern as they rimmed the roof of Chris's house. She walked inside to check out the tree. It was decorated with the same colors, white and blue. Claire hated the rainbow color lights, and these two colors came off as elegant to her, with a deep sense of meaning. The three of them truly did a great job at putting up the decorations.

She checked her watch, wondering where Chris could be. He went in with Jill at three this morning, hopping a ride in Jill's Mustang. He had called her around lunch time to let her know that he should be off by three or four.

Claire sighed. Her watch said nearly seven thirty. She was starting to worry. It was dark outside, and she could see that other houses on the block had their Christmas lights on. "C'mon, Chris."

Just as she spoke those words, the phone started ringing. She knew it had to be him calling again, so rushed to the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"_Claire, hey. Something came up. I will have to be on patrol with Jill and Brad until ten tonight. Don't wait up for me, alright?"_

"What? Ten o'clock?"

"_Yeah, I know. We had a damn bank robbery earlier, but the investigation is still going on. We are just going to stay out until Richard and Forest are able to take our places."_

"Do you know how many hours that will be that you have worked?" Claire growled.

"_Yes, mother, I know! Don't sweat it, sis. I got my day off coming up in a couple of days. Trust me; I'm used to working these hours this time of year."_

"Fine. Just be careful okay?"

"_I will. You too. Love ya."_

"Love you too." Claire hung up, sitting the phone back in place. She was now extremely annoyed with this. She came here on her winter break to visit with her brother, not live in his house alone.

She tapped her fingers on the bar, thinking with a scowl. She suddenly felt like driving over to the precinct to give Wesker a piece of her mind. The next thing she knew, she was grabbing the Dodge keys and heading out to town. She remembered that Chris didn't want her to talk to him for the sake of his reputation. He knew how his sister could be when she was angry.

_I won't do anything hurt Chris's reputation. I'm just gonna go in, talk to his captain, and see if there is someway we can figure something out. I'm not going to let my brother become a mindless, drooling zombie after working so many freaking hours when I am trying to spend time with him!_

* * *

The grand hall of the precinct was busy with officers and normal citizens. Claire had been here a few times, but never upstairs where the STARS office was located. She looked around for a familiar face and just about jumped in joy when she saw Joseph Frost talking to another cop. He stood out with his red bandana on his head, and he wore his STARS uniform as well.

"Joseph!"

"Claire! Hey girl!" he laughed, hugging her. "What are you doing here? Didn't Chris call you before he left on patrol?"

"Yes, he did. But I am here to talk to Wesker."

The color drained from Joseph's face. "What? S-say that again?"

"I came to talk to Wesker. I'm not very happy with these hours that Chris has to work."

"Oh…" Joseph trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "Well, good luck with that, kid."

"Not so fast! You are going to take me to where he is!" Claire snapped, grabbing his arm before he could slip away.

"Alright, alright!" he sighed. "C'mon, this way. I will just take you to the STARS office. You are on your own talking to him. I got too many things to worry about right now."

"That's fine by me, Joseph. Thanks."

The Alpha Team member led her through the police station and up the stairs in another lobby. Claire looked around, nodding at friendly officers while taking in the sights of the hallways and rooms around them. She had never been so far into the RPD before. Joseph brought her to a door in another hallway. On the left was an emblem in gold that read: STARS: Special Tactics And Rescue Service.

"Here ya are! Good luck!" Joseph exclaimed.

She hardly had time to thank him before he was heading off, waving at her over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner. Claire rolled her eyes, looking back to the door. She took a moment to gather herself. She wasn't nervous; she had a knack for dealing with people no matter what position they were. She knocked on the door with a few strong taps.

She waited for a long moment, listening for a voice to call her inside. She never heard one. She went to knock again and then the door was swinging open. Claire took a step back, seeing a man step forth into the doorway to glare down at her.

Claire blinked, surprised and very much not expecting the man she saw before her. He was tall, handsome, and strong-built. He wore a dark STARS uniform and a pair of sunglasses. His blond hair was slick back, and a small headset rested on one ear. And though she was expecting an older, completely different looking man to be serving as Captain of STARS and one of Raccoon City's Finest, she knew all too well that this was Albert Wesker.

He peered at her curiously. "Can I help you?"

Claire almost forgot what she had come here to do.

"Wait a minute. You are Redfield's younger sister, aren't you?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, how did you-?"

"He has a picture of you on his desk," Wesker interrupted. "Chris isn't here. He is on patrol. Is there anything else I can do for you? I'm very busy."

"Yes, you can actually," Claire stated calmly, glaring at him slightly.

"Of course there is," he snorted, moving out of the doorway to let her into the office. Claire hesitated just outside the office and he glared at her. "Well?"

She moved into the STARS office. Wesker shut the door behind her and headed over to his desk. Claire glanced around, seeing several desks for Alpha and Bravo Team. There was paperwork and folders on every desk as well as personal items. Wesker offered her a seat that sat right on the other side of his desk before he sat down himself.

"So, Miss Redfield. It seems you need to talk to me about a problem."

"Actually, yes," Claire sighed, sitting down.

Wesker took off his sunglasses and tossed them onto his desk before rubbing his face with his hands. He leaned back in his chair, staring at her with intense gray-blue eyes. "Well, go on then."

"I think it is unfair that you are making Chris work all these hours."

Wesker didn't say anything at first, but he did slightly cock his head and twitch a smile. His chuckle made her shiver. "Unfair? And you think he is the only one suffering?"

"No, I don't," she answered calmly. "But 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. is a little too harsh for anyone, don't you think? I would think that you would have more members to divide the work between."

Wesker chuckled again. "Let me put it this way, Miss Redfield. Raccoon City has a population of 100,000 people. At this time of year there are more crimes, more accidents, and this is also the time of the year that the federal government wants more paperwork done. I cannot help any of this, but as Captain I try to make it fair between all my officers for these long hours. Senior members with a family to tend to get more time off than those who don't have a family. That explains why Chris, Jill, Brad, Joseph, and I are here most of the time. Does that make sense, Miss Redfield?"

He did make a very valid point. Claire felt depressed now. She mumbled her next response. "Yes."

Wesker was quiet for a moment while studying her. Sighing, he got to his feet, watching as Claire got up as well. "I tell you what, Miss Redfield. It slipped my mind that you were coming here on your winter break to visit Chris. I will inform Chris that he has the next two days off. And I will try to keep in mind not to make him work so many hours while you are down. Fair?"

Claire couldn't believe it. She smiled at him. "Thank you."

Wesker escorted her to the door, opening it for her. "You have a good night, Miss Redfield."

"Yeah, you too."

He shut the door behind her, leaving her out in the hallway alone. Claire started heading for the main hall of the police station. Her thoughts were thick on the conversation she just had with Wesker. He came off as a calm, collected, and respectful leader, but Claire couldn't help but notice the darkness that were in his eyes. She tried to tell herself that it was normal for an experienced officer like him to come off with somewhat a dark side. She was sure that Wesker had seen things in his line of work that no one would wish to see in a lifetime. Still, the strange feeling never left until she made it home in Chris's Dodge. She made herself a small snack and read a magazine while she waited for Chris to get home. It wasn't long after ten o'clock before Jill's Mustang pulled into the driveway. Chris got out, and then the Mustang backed out and headed home. Chris entered the house without having to unlock the door. Claire forgot to lock it, and she twitched a smile as he sat the magazine down, already acing the script on what her brother was going to say.

"You forgot to lock the front door! Someone could break into the house!"

"Chris, I think if someone was going to break in, then a simple locked door isn't going to stop them. I'm sorry, I forgot okay?"

"Alright, alright," Chris sighed. He was taking off his belt and supplies from his STARS uniform, sitting them on the kitchen counter.

Claire followed him in there, watching as her brother glanced up at her with a suspicious expression. He leaned on the counter. "So…Wesker just informed me before coming home that I get the next two days off."

"Really?" Claire tried to sound surprised. "That's great!"

"What did you say to him exactly?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Sis, he told me you came down there, don't try that."

Claire held up her hands in defense. "Alright, you got me. I just told him that you deserved more time off, especially with your sister down visiting. Don't worry, bro. I highly doubt I ruined your reputation."

"No, but I will never live it down that my little sister came to my rescue and talked my captain into giving me a couple days off."

Claire laughed. "See? Your teammates should be lining up begging me to be their sister!"

"You must have caught Wesker in a good mood, that's all I got to say," Chris chuckled. "Now, I am going to take a shower. I guess tomorrow we can actually go do something together for once!"

"If you don't sleep in all day. You look like a zombie," Claire said, shaking her head but also grinning.

"Thanks. And I was trying to keep myself looking good."

"For Jill?"

"Hey now, that's uncalled for!"

* * *

In her first week down, Claire was glad to finally be able to enjoy Chris's awesome breakfast. Her brother definitely knew how to cook, and made sure he learned. Chris always told her that women always wanted a guy who could cook, and that was one of the main reasons he learned to cook well. She could care less; it was a nice break from ramen and other packaged cheap foods that she lived on in her college dorm. It also didn't matter that he made this breakfast a little after noon, since he slept in. Claire knew he needed the sleep.

"So? What do we have planned today?" Chris asked.

"Hmm…how about we go see a movie? Then I can help you pick out a gift for Jill since I know you are dying to find one. Tonight, they are having a small festival for the city's Christmas lights in Central Square too."

"Sounds good to me! Wait…what movie are we going to see? No romantic comedies or chick flicks!"

"Am I the kind of girl that watches those?" Claire asked, glaring at her brother across the table as they ate.

"No, but I just had to yell it out."

"That new thriller that we both want to see it out finally."

"Oh, then I'm game!" Chris laughed.

Their schedule had been set. The Redfield siblings got ready, and then headed out to town. They went to the theater and watched a movie, then headed to the mall to find Jill a gift. Chris had no luck, even with Claire's help, only because he was unsure of anything. Claire decided to tell Chris that she would talk to Jill and see if she could stealthily get something out of Jill that she wanted. With a little time to spare before the festival in the Central Square, the two decided to stop by their favorite coffee shop to have some hot cocoa and talk.

By the time it got dark, and they made their way over to Central Square, it was crowded. They wore thick coats for the icy wind that blew. The city had salted and cleared the roads mostly, and so only snow was left on various parts of buildings, cars, and some of the sidewalks. Chris and Claire were able to get food and drinks as they lit up the city's own tree that towered in the square. Main Street was then lit up as every business showed off their own decorations that seemed to bathe the street even more so than the street lamps.

The siblings stayed for awhile, visiting with people they knew and listening to the carols play. By the time they arrived home, it was late. They decided to stay up to watch some old movies before going to bed.

"I think Jill is off tomorrow too. Maybe if we all three go do something you can talk to her?" Chris asked, looking hopeful.

"Of course! And don't worry, I will be sneaky about it!"

"Great! Oh, by the way! That next morning when we both go back to work, Jill has to go in earlier than me. Do you mind getting up and giving me a ride to the police station in the morning? I want to keep the truck with you in case you need to go somewhere."

"Yeah, it's fine, Chris!"

"Good. Well, we better head off to bed so we can maybe get up a little earlier and have breakfast on time."

Claire laughed, getting up with her brother from the couch. "Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, Chris."

"Night, sis!"

* * *

**A/N: I don't know why, but in some fics I make Chris a horrible cook, and in some I make him a good cook lol. This is one where he is a good cook! I have no idea why I do that, but I do! This chapter was a little shorter than intended, but that's alright. They get longer as the story progresses! It won't be long now that Claire will start to get into trouble...well, she doesn't mean to...it's just that she ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time...mwahahahaha! Thanks for reading folks! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Blood in the Snow

**Chapter 3: Blood in the Snow**

Chris was glaring at the two women who were giggling their heads off. "I don't see how you two find this amusing!"

"Chris, it's just ice skating!" Jill exclaimed.

"Ya…it's skating, you know…on ice."

Chris's legs were wobbly on the ice, and he held onto the railing of the outside ice skating rink. Claire was standing just fine on the ice. And even Jill had the audacity to stand on one leg so she could fix tongue of her other ice skate. The rink was moderately full, but not near as what it usually was. They had plenty of room to skate around; meaning Chris had plenty of room to crash.

"If the guys see me doing this than I am a dead man!" Chris huffed. "How the hell did you two talk me into this?"

"Because," Jill stated. "You said you would ice skate with us if we were to go over to Barry's house with the guys to watch the football game."

"Which we would have gone anyways," Claire chuckled.

"Don't be such a baby, Chris! Look, I know you have more balance than that!" Jill chuckled.

Claire elbowed Jill, and then leaned over to whisper in her ear. Chris found this disturbing and glared at the two women. He especially hated how that sly smirk curled on his partner's face. He held onto the railing more tightly.

"Don't even think about it!"

Claire and Jill grabbed Chris, forcing him to let go of the railing and then shoved him. Chris looked like a deer caught on ice, legs rapidly moving to catch his balance with arms waving about. He was yelling something, but Claire and Jill were too busy laughing. Finally, Chris was able to get a hold of his balance and was working at getting himself to go without face planting first into the ground.

"Whoo! I'm doing it!" Chris laughed.

"They grow up so fast," Jill chuckled.

Claire and Jill started skating as well, staying behind Chris to watch him in case he fell. Raccoon City Park looked so beautiful with all of the snow lining the ground and trees. Outside of the rink, kids were making snowmen and snow angels while parents watched on in delight. There were even a few families decking it out with a snowball fight.

"So, I was supposed to be sneaky about this, but I know it won't do any good. So I am just going to ask. What do you want for Christmas so Chris can get it for you?"

Jill laughed, shaking her head. "He doesn't have to get me anything."

"Oh, but he does so badly. Please tell me so he can stop bothering me about it."

Jill seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, how bout something practical like a new toaster or something?"

Claire glared at her. "A toaster? Are you insane? Who wants a toaster for Christmas?"

Jill shrugged. "I really wouldn't want Chris spending any kind of money on me."

"How about that really nice coat back in that shop we checked out earlier?"

"No way! That thing was like $400!"

"Yeah," Claire sighed. "You're right…Hmm…how about a hat? You like hats!"

"A hat sound simple, cheap, and easy. I'm all for it!"

Claire laughed. "Glad that's over with! So, do you need my help in deciding what you are going to get for Chris?"

"Nah, I bought his like a month ago."

"What? Really? What is it?"

"Well, I went to Robert Kendo's gun shop and had him customize a brand new issue Samurai Edge because his old one got blown up."

Claire gave a baffled look. "Blown…up?"

"Yeah, some bank robber we were trying to apprehend blew up one of the STARS vehicles with a damn grenade. Chris was using a scoped rifle at the time trying to figure out if there were anymore hostages. Everything turned out good in the end, but he sure was upset that his Samurai Edge was gone. It was the gun he won that last marksmanship trophy with. He's been using an old Glock instead for awhile."

"Wow, he never told me about that. So how much did that cost?"

Jill looked away, mumbling. "Oh, not important."

"Jill!"

"Alright! It cost me $480."

Claire glared at her friend. "I'm totally telling him to buy you that coat and a hat."

"You better not! Don't tell him the gun cost that much. I'm gonna lie and say that Wesker made Irons issue him a new one."

"And what if Chris asks Wesker for that story?"

Jill bit her lip. "I…uhh…I'll tell Wesker to go along with it! Besides, Chris wouldn't dare ask the captain for the truth!"

"Maybe so," Claire sighed. "But if you go with that story, that would make Chris think it wasn't a Christmas gift from you. He would think it was a Christmas gift from Wesker…sort of."

Jill slumped her shoulders. "Yeah, you're right. I suck at coming up with stories."

"Alright, I won't say anything about the gun. But don't be surprised if Chris buys you something just as expensive."

"Fine."

"Hey, kiddo! Check this out!" Chris laughed. He was skating on one foot, grinning.

"He called me a kiddo…how embarrassing," Claire sighed.

Jill cupped her hands over her mouth, her breath coming out in white puffs. "Pretty soon you'll be an ice skating champ, Christopher!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Why does he hate his full name so much?" Jill giggled.

"I have no idea."

They heard Chris yelp, and then a crash echoed. They saw Chris slowly sliding across the ice on his stomach, arms and legs extended out. Claire and Jill skated over to him while laughing and helped him to his feet.

"I think that is enough ice skating for one day," Chris said, feeling his lip with a finger. "I think I bit my lip!"

"Alright, we better leave anyways if we are going to get over to Barry's in time for the game," Claire replied.

* * *

Barry's house was full of snacks, good food, drinks, and off course friends. Claire and Jill talked with Barry's wife Kathy. Barry had just come down from upstairs putting his two daughters, Moira and Polly, into bed for the night. Claire wasn't surprised to see a few of their STARS teammates coming over on their night off as well to enjoy the game and company. It looked as though Joseph Frost, Forest Speyer, and Richard Aiken were going to be the only ones showing up besides Chris and Jill. Claire was sure the rest of the STARS were working.

The guys got a little rowdy at first until Barry slapped Joseph with a rolled up newspaper and told them to keep it down. However when the home team scored their first touchdown, that didn't stop any of the men, including Barry, to jump to their feet and cheer.

Kathy rolled her eyes, the women watching the game on and off while they visited and snacked. The game lasted a couple hours, and the men rejoiced as their home team won the game, clanking beer bottles together. By the time Chris and Claire got to Chris's house, she was beat. And she hardly did any cheering. The siblings decided to go on to bed, seeing as how Chris was going back to work in the morning, and Claire was going to have to take him in because Jill was going in earlier.

They got up early enough to have breakfast downtown before Claire dropped her brother off at the precinct.

"Be careful if you go anywhere. We are supposed to get more snow later," Chris said.

"Alright. I think I am gonna head up to the hike trails and run a mile before going home. I feel fat from all that good food last night."

Chris rolled his eyes. "You women. I highly doubt that high fat snacks and desserts will make you fat."

"Are you being a smartass?"

"I sure am, sis! Just be careful, okay? It's still pretty early. At least the sun is starting to come up. I don't want you there while it is dark. You never know about there being crazies around there at this time."

It was Claire's turn to roll her eyes. "Chris, how many times do we take the Arklay Hiking Trail for a run? We've never bumped into weirdoes before. I guarantee you it will only be that old couple Mr. and Mrs. Willow and some of those good looking track guys at this time."

"Good looking track guys? Now wait just a damn minute I-"

"Oh c'mon, Chris I was just joking. I knew you would freak out as soon as I mentioned hot guys!"

Chris glared at her. "I am gonna give you an hour and a half to get there, run your mile, and get home before I call you…just to be sure! I don't want anything happening to you, sis!"

"Alright, alright. I'll be fine. I'm just running the small scenic trail, sheesh."

"You can always run a mile around my house, you know."

"I would look like an idiot running around a house."

"Fine. Go. Remember! Hour and a half!"

"Yes, sir!" Claire stated sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at him.

She drove the Dodge Ram out of the parking lot of the police station, turning onto Main Street and driving for the edge of town. The sun was already starting to rise, even though it did nothing to warm the cold outside. The run would do her good, considering she had been lazy since arriving here to live with Chris on her winter break and not keeping up with her exercises.

* * *

Claire rolled the truck to a park in the parking area of the hiking trails. She climbed out, bundling up in her hoodie and gloves. She took a good look around. The snow had transformed the forest into a winter wonderland. And though Claire was more of a spring person, loving the life that sprouted and thrived in its beauty when it came, she had to admit that the snow made everything seem mystical. She was surprised to see other cars here. In this cold, only the determined came out here to walk or run the trails.

She raised her eyebrows at the three cars that were parked with the truck. There was a brand new black Jaguar XK8 that completely caught her interest. It wasn't a typical car of the average person who lived in Raccoon City. Whoever owned this car had a lot of money. The other two cars were not near as stunning as the Jaguar, but also were high dollar luxery cars. There was a silver BMW M3 sedan, as well as a dark green Mercedes-Benz S320. The luxury cars were mostly clean save for some dirty snow and mud caked up under the fenders and leaving light splashes along the sides.

_Well, it looks as though we got some_ _rich buddies going for a stroll. I hope one of them is good looking!_

She laughed inwardly at her own joke, shaking her head and moving on. She was sure whoever owned these cars were not her type and were probably much older. Claire picked the trail that she and Chris would go on all the time, wondering how the snow and ice have changed its beautiful scenery that she remembers well in the spring and summer. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail, throwing her hood over head to protect her ears and did a few warm up exercises before starting to jog along the trail.

She was thoroughly enjoying the experience, feeling the sharp cold hit her lungs as she jogged along and was astonished by the winter's portrayal in the surrounding forest. As she began jogging, she could see some winter birds playing and tweeting not far from the trail. Claire had to be careful of the snow covered trail, careful not to slip from it. She even saw some squirrels flicking their tails and hiding as she jogged past. A red fox that had been watching the snow for a mouse perked up at her and vanished into the woods. Far from the trail, barely visible to her eyes, Claire saw a herd of deer and slowed to a stop to watch them. The does were eating the bark from the tree, and a couple even had fawns with them. Two bucks turned their heads towards her, mouths moving as they chewed and tails flicking.

_I wish I had my camera!_

Suddenly, the deer turned and fled. Disappointed, Claire carried on, though she decided to walk for a bit to further enjoy the wildlife that seemed so vibrant right now. But as she got further along the trail, she noticed that it became deathly silent. There was no life whatsoever out here anymore. This alone made Claire's nerves twitch. It wasn't long before she started getting this feeling in her chest that she needed to turn back. Something wasn't right at all, and she suddenly remembered the three cars she had parked by.

_I should have seen somebody by now…_

She came to a halt, looking all around her, that feeling in her chest getting worse. Something bright and red caught her peripheral sight, and Claire looked down onto the snow covered trail. Not even a foot away from her boot was a quarter-sized blood pile. The sight of the blood itself was enough to make hers curdle. She now noticed the other flecks of blood, and even a trail. The dark red spots had melted the snow into a thick syrup-like substance.

_Did somebody get hurt?_

She jumped when a loud, male cry echoed out across the forest. Claire swallowed hard, moving on slowly. Something was telling her to turn back and flee, but her heart told her she had to make sure she wasn't leaving anyone that was hurt or dying by themselves.

The snow crunched quietly below her boots as she slowly walked the trail, following the blood drops. She started to hear voices, and quickly went off the trail to get behind a large oak tree. She took a deep breath, looking around the trunk to peer out into the opening.

She could see a man, maybe in his forties, with graying five o'clock shadow on his knees wincing in pain. She could see blood staining his shirt, and figured the blood on the trail came from him. Claire pulse rose as she realized the man's arms were tied behind his back. Claire decided to look to the other two men who were standing in the opening with the bleeding man.

One of the men was thin, handsome, and looked to be in his early thirties with brown hair, green eyes, and five o'clock shadow. He was wearing a lab coat with some slacks and shirt, and so Claire couldn't tell if he was a doctor or a scientist. The other man was one she recognized all too well. Her heart shot into her throat as she recognized Albert Wesker, who was aiming a gun at the bleeding man.

_What the hell?_

The scientist with Wesker stretched, yawning as if he was bored. "C'mon, Finley, we don't have all day."

"Fuck you, William. I'm not telling you two anything!"

"You had a contract, Mr. Finley. Does that not mean you are obliged to tell us what you know?" Wesker inquired coolly. He was wearing his STARS captain uniform, further confusing Claire as she hid behind the tree.

"Yeah, I did have a contract. But not to you, Albert! Just because you killed Crawford doesn't mean I have to answer to you."

"Well, that's too bad," William stated. "I guess that means we are going to have to resort to other measures, isn't that right, Al?"

"You two are fucking insane! I thought we were meeting here to exchange information on Spencer's plans! I didn't do anything!"

"On the contrary," Wesker interrupted. "You informed a different party about the plans for the Tyrant Project, just for more cash. That is quite a low blow to not only Umbrella, but to our plans as well."

"You have no proof," Finley spat, blood coming out of his lips.

"William, how about we head over to Finley's house to dispose of his family and make him out to be the killer who shot himself?"

"You always come up with the best plans, Albert."

"Wait! Not my family! I swear I did nothing to betray Spencer! Unlike you two wolves who bite the hands that feed you! I'll tell you everything; just leave my family out of this!"

"Then where are the disks?" Wesker asked. He still kept his handgun aimed at Finley.

Finley took a deep breath, letting out as his body seemed to give in. "At the Training Facility. S-Steve Morgan has them."

"I would have never of guessed," William snorted. "Not surprised that you are tattling on someone else though, Fin."

"Am I free to go now? You guys have what you want!"

"Of course, Finley. You did so well giving in to us," Wesker chuckled.

"I am?" Finley gasped.

"He is?" William grunted.

"Oh, thank you so much, Wesker! I'll be sure to keep quiet about this! Anything to protect my family!"

"Once a snitch, always a snitch," Wesker sighed, pulling the trigger.

Claire almost screamed when she saw Finley's head explode, and the body fell limp to the ground with blood gushing out into the snow.

"You made a mess…again," William sighed.

"I'm running late, William. I'll call Sergei and make him send a group out here to clean everything up and dispose of Finley's car."

"Fine. Next time, let's try somewhere a bit more private. Someone could have been walking the trail, ya know?"

"We weren't expecting Finley to pull a gun on us, now did we? This did not go according to plan. He has been in contact with somebody other than Crawford. We should look more into this," Wesker explained.

"Agreed," William replied, kicking Finley's limp leg. "What a chump."

Claire slipped behind the tree again, her heart pounding to the point of breaking out of her chest. They were heading back to their cars! There was no way Claire could get back to the truck and leave before they saw her. And she knew Wesker would recognize Chris's truck. She was in a very bad position. She couldn't believe that Wesker, the Captain of the STARS force and one of Raccoon City's Finest, was a dirty cop.

They were talking about something big, she knew. Umbrella rang a bell in her head. Easily enough, it would anybody. The Umbrella Corporation was the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world, and had actually played a big part in the building of Raccoon City. Besides that, between the pharmacies and researchers working within the Umbrella branch right in the city, it gave more than 25,000 jobs for Raccoon alone.

Claire was desperately thinking on what to do. She couldn't make a run for it without them hearing and seeing her. Wesker obviously had a gun and was not afraid to use it. If she remained in hiding, Wesker would recognize Chris's Dodge, and would either be back on the trail to hunt her down, or heading back to the police station to confront Chris and possibly lead him into a trap like they did with this poor fellow here. At this point, Claire had no idea what Wesker was capable of. She always heard that he was one of the most honored and respected men at the precinct. Now it seemed he was a two-faced traitor that used his position in law to his advantage.

"Wait a minute. Look at these shoe prints, Albert!"

William's statement made Claire freeze. She dared not looked around the tree to see where their position was, because they sounded right on the other side of the tree on the trail.

"Woman, size seven and a half. Interesting," Wesker commented.

_You've got to be shitting me…_

"Alright, little lady, come out! Don't be shy! We know you are out there!" William said, his tone friendly and almost comforting, but Claire knew better. She then heard his whisper to Wesker. "I knew this was a bad idea! We're going to get caught! I blame this on you!"

"Shh!" Wesker hissed.

They went silent, further antagonizing Claire. She was so terrified, she felt she had frozen herself in with the tree. Her mind was going a million miles a second trying to come up with a plan, and fast.

"The footsteps go towards that tree. Stay here," Wesker said.

"Yeah, better you than me," William snorted.

_SHIT!_

Claire could hear his footsteps heading in her direction off of the trail. She looked down, hoping to God she could find something to use as a weapon against the both of them and escape. All she saw near her feet was a rock a little bigger than her fist. She graciously bent over to grab it up, making not even a peep, though her voice wanted to crack so bad in her forced calm breaths.

She could hear Wesker nearing the tree, and so she braced herself. Maybe if she was able to knock Wesker out and take his gun, she would be able to get away. William didn't seem much of a threat, but Claire didn't want to take any chances. As Wesker came around the tree, Claire swung the rock. Wesker barely evaded it, and he grabbed her arm, twisting it around her back and slammed her into the tree. Claire yelped, already trying to fight, but he tightened the grip he had on her arm, threatening to break it, and she gave in.

"Well, well, well, this is quite a small world, wouldn't you agree, Miss Redfield?" Wesker greeted, sounding all too amused as he let her arm go and let her turn around.

Claire tried to push past him, but Wesker slammed her back into the tree and held her there. It didn't take long before William was running around to where they were to get a better look.

"You two know each other?"

"Chris Redfield's younger sister," Wesker answered simply. Those sunglasses focused on Claire once more, and his grip tightened on her. A small smirk formed on Wesker's lips, making Claire's spine freeze. "You better have a good explanation for this, dear heart. I'm just dying to know why you are here."

* * *

**A/N: Oh no...It looks as though Claire has run into a small problem...okay so she is in deep doodoo right now! Alas, this poor girl is always getting herself into trouble. Sorry about the wait on this chapter. I just wanted to do a few more changes to it, and that is why it was not posted this last Sunday. And since I have been down with strep throat most of the week, today was the first day I was feeling well enough to post it! Yay for feeling better! Claire isn't feeling good right now...just saying...Lol. Thanks for being patient, peeps! And I love and thank all of you who read and review! :) It makes me feel better in my crappy sickness!**


	4. Chapter 4: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

**Chapter 4: Wrong Place, Wrong Time**

Claire glared up at that smug expression that was on Wesker's face. She refused to answer him. After what she saw, she wouldn't answer a crooked officer. Silent minutes went by, the cold air finding a way to creep into Claire's clothes.

"Well?" Wesker demanded.

William had stepped back, looking anxious. He was looking all around them, as if expecting them to be caught red handed. Claire, again, remained silent. Though she was tremendously scared with a pulse threatening to burst her veins, she did her best to hide it and be defiant.

Her defiance melted away as soon as she felt cold metal being pressed dangerously under her chin. The click of the gun cocking cut the air like a knife, making her heart jolt and fear really set in.

"Don't waste my time. If I were you, Miss Redfield, I would be answering questions to save my life," Wesker warned.

"I came here to do some morning exercises! Last I heard it wasn't against the law! What the hell are you doing out here?" Claire snapped.

"Business that is none of your concern," Wesker answered smoothly.

"It is my concern seeing as how I am a damn witness to you killing an innocent man. Just wait until I call the law on you," Claire retorted, feeling the pressure of the gun barrel being pressed harder under her chin.

William snorted in laughter not far from her and Wesker. "Did you hear that Al? She's going to call the law on you!"

Wesker chuckled softly. "I'm only one position shy from running the whole precinct myself. Do you really think you can use the law against me, dear heart? I am the law."

"Let me go or I will-"

"You will what?" Wesker inquired, interrupting her.

"Looks like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, sweetheart," William stated. "C'mon, Albert. No sense in wasting anymore time. Let's just kill her and get it over with. I've already paged Sergei to bring some of his men and clean up this place.

William's words almost made her panic. Wesker's grip on her didn't loosen, even as she suddenly tried to push against him. She felt the barrel push harder into her throat, but she didn't care. She needed to get out of here alive.

"Where's the fun in that? She can come with us."

William immediately shook his head, throwing up his arms. "No, no, no! Bad idea! Sergei will wring our necks if he finds out you let a witness live! And I don't even want to think about Spencer!"

"You worry too much, Will," Wesker answered coolly. "She needs to be taught a lesson."

"No, she needs to be shot in the head and tossed beside Finley's body!" William retorted, hands on his hips. He then motioned to Claire, giving an apologetic smile. "No offense!"

"There's a payphone at the entrance to the hiking trails. Call Annette and tell her to come pick up your car."

William glared at Wesker. "Why?"

"Because you are going to drive Miss Redfield's truck back to her house. Annette can pick your car up while Sergei does cleanup."

William groaned, shaking his head and acting as though he wanted to pull his hair out. "You and your sick, twisted games, Albert. Fine, give me a quarter!"

He held out his hand towards Albert. He received a scowl from his partner in crime, and then received the coin. The younger scientist then went on ahead of them on the trail, walking for the parking area while cursing and complaining about Wesker's plan.

Wesker shoved Claire forward. Claire stumbled, but easily caught herself. She glared back at him, noticing he still kept the gun aimed at her. Reluctantly, she moved forward, getting back on the trail and following William. She was scared, angry, and confused. She was desperately trying to find a way to escape. She had no idea what Wesker was planning to do with her, but she didn't want to find out.

"You're not going to get away with this. I'm going to tell Chris and everyone at the precinct and have you arrested," she threatened.

Wesker chuckled softly behind her, making her shiver. "You are brave for someone who has a gun to their back. Why waste energy barking threats when you are still captive, hmm?"

"I'll find a way."

"This will be interesting to see then."

"Why did you kill that man?"

"Because he knew too much. If you keep asking questions and learn too much yourself, you will end up like him."

Claire glared over her shoulder at him. "And what if any civilians come through here besides me? Are you going to kill them too?"

"I actually had this road closed off, along with the hiking trail. I'm afraid that you just so happened to get past that somehow. Sorry to disappoint you, dear heart, but it looks as though it will only be us today," Wesker explained.

"What are you going to do with me?" Claire asked, swallowing hard.

"You will find out soon enough."

By the time they reached the cars, snow had started to fall again. Claire lost count of time, and hoped that it had been over an hour. Chris would be calling by then. And if she wasn't home to answer, he would come and seek her out. William was finished with his business on the payphone, and walked over to them.

"Alright, Annette is on the way. She is going to take the BMW back to the Pharmacy. So let's drop off her truck and you can give me a ride over there. We better hurry. Sergei will be pulling up any minute. Hopefully, my dear wife will be able to come up with a sly answer if the Colonel is going to question her on why my vehicle is still here."

"Fair enough," Wesker stated. He grabbed Claire's arms, pulling them behind her back. Claire struggled at first, and then felt handcuffs being tightly locked around her wrists.

"Take those things off of me!" Claire snapped.

"If you want to survive this ordeal, Miss Redfield, then you better cooperate. Now where are your keys?"

She stopped fighting, glaring at the two men. She bit her cheek, head lowering. "Front right pocket."

Wesker pulled them out, tossing them to William. The scientist caught them easily, and without another word, unlocked the Dodge truck and climbed in. Wesker pulled Claire over to the passenger side of the Jaguar. He pushed the button pad on his set of keys to unlock the luxury car, and then opened the door to push her inside. The interior was clean and still smelled like new car. Claire leaned forward so she didn't have to have her arms pressed against the seat. Wesker slipped into the driver's side, starting the car and pulling out. William followed behind them in Chris's truck.

"Do what you want with me, but when I get the chance, I will tell Chris," Claire said, eyes going to Wesker.

Wesker shifted up a gear as the car sped up on the highway. He barely glanced over at her. "That wouldn't be a very good idea on your part. You don't want to have Chris end up dead, do you?"

"You wouldn't."

Wesker slyly smiled. "Oh, but I would. I think you misunderstand me, Miss Redfield. I control most of the city. Telling anyone, Chris, Jill, the law, will result in your death as well as your brother's. You'll be monitored closely until I figure out what I am going to do with you."

"You're crazy if you think I am just going to stay quiet and not fight until you eventually kill me."

"I don't expect you to. That will only give me more entertainment, of course. However, depending on how far you are willing to save your brother's life, you might just be able to buy your freedom back from me."

She sneered at him. "You think I am going to believe anything you say or take orders and threats from you, you bastard?"

"It isn't as though you have a choice now, is there?" Wesker chuckled softly.

Claire grew quiet, her eyes lowering. It seemed as though she was trapped, no matter how hard she tried to get out of it. Wesker laid down the terms already. If she wanted to stay alive, and keep Chris and her friends alive, she would have to listen to him. But that wasn't going to stop her from fighting. She would find a way to expose Wesker to the public, to the right side of the law. This was going to be a game of cat and mouse, and she was the mouse. She would have to play the game right and very carefully if she was going to make it out alive.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. She was utterly speechless. William parked Chris's truck in the driveway while Wesker unlocked the handcuffs and freed her. William was already walking towards the idling Jaguar, but paused to peer at Wesker and Claire, who stood on the front porch to Chris's house. They were just going to drop her off and leave.

"That's it. You are just going to drop me off and go? That's not a very bright way to keep me from talking," Claire said, rubbing her sore wrists.

"I told you what to expect in the car. That's just it, dear heart. I am giving you absolute freedom right now. You can tell anyone in the world what you saw just an hour ago. Doing so, however, will result in dire consequences that you are fully aware of. The choice is up to you. Either protect your family by keeping quiet or destroy it by talking."

She wanted to believe that he was bluffing. That he was just trying to intimidate her into keeping her mouth shut. It was working, but it still made her believe that she could find a way to expose him.

"And don't think he is just bluffing, because he has done this before," William informed, tossing Claire's keys to Wesker. "Why? I do not know. It only seems to waste time and gives me a headache."

Wesker handed Claire her keys. "This is far from over, dear heart. So, if you want your life to remain as it is, then you will stay quiet about this whole ordeal. I would hate to have to make it look as though you and Chris got into an accident."

She narrowed her eyes at him, her chest feeling tight and her stomach feeling nauseas. "I get it. Now leave."

Wesker gave a ghost of a smile, those sunglasses reflecting some light as he turned to walk down the steps. "It's your call, Miss Redfield. Tread carefully."

She watched as William and Wesker got into the idling Jaguar and drove off, heading for the city. The sudden flooding of all that had happened to her hit her like a freight train then, and she ran inside the house towards the bathroom, feeling as though she was going to vomit. As she leaned over the toilet, she heard the telephone start ringing. She knew it was Chris calling to check up on her. The nausea died away, and as she went to answer the phone, she was overcome with a sense of guilt and pain.

"Hello?"

"_Finally! Claire! What happened? I was starting to get worried!"_

She swallowed hard. "Oh, sorry. Guess I lost track of time."

"_Are you alright? You sound upset."_

She forced a fake smile, even though her brother couldn't see it. "I'm fine. I just saw a dead deer near the trail. Kinda freaked me out. That and I think I was out in the cold for a bit too long. I feel sick."

"_I told you that you would get sick doing that! Who goes running out in the woods with snow all over the ground and it being twenty degrees outside? You do apparently! Make yourself some soup and rest. I should be home a bit early tonight."_

"Alright, take care, bro. Love ya."

"_Love ya too, bye."_

She hung up, taking a moment to get lost in thought. She soon sat the phone back down on its receiver, walking for the couch and slumping down on it. Her mind was racing with so many things. She had to find a way to expose Wesker, but she just didn't know where to start. She couldn't risk Chris's safety, or her friends' safety, not even her own safety. But she couldn't risk not trying to stop Wesker either. She was at a complete loss.

She couldn't call the law. Wesker controlled the law. And she saw first hand how he could manipulate and deceive the truth. Whatever conspiracy he was caught up in also gave him more room for control. She knew she would have to do some investigating to see what kind of shadows Wesker was involved with. If she couldn't call on the law for help, then she just might have to do it alone. The only man above Wesker at the precinct was the chief of police…Brian Irons. Claire wondered if maybe she could go talk to him. Sure, Irons was a jerk at times, but he knew how to keep a city in line. Claire heard stories of how he had arrested crooked cops before.

Then again, she didn't want to risk Wesker finding out and killing her brother or friends. She remained lost in thought until she heard a car pull up in the driveway. Shaking out of her trance, Claire realized she had been in deep thought confused and worried for several hours. She saw Chris get out of Jill's car, and then Jill pulled out to go home herself. It was dark outside, and snow was still lightly falling.

Chris entered with a smile on his face, brushing off snowflakes from his uniform and hair. "Hey sis, feeling better?"

"A little," she replied, trying to sound calm. "How was work?"

"Very hectic! Tomorrow should be much more laidback. We plan on catching up on some paperwork. But with Barry in charge, I highly doubt we get much done," Chris chuckled.

Claire perked up. "Barry? What happened to Wesker?"

"Day off. He was late today, but I'm sure for good reason. I'm just glad he put Barry in charge. Usually he has Enrico come in to cover him, but I guess Enrico has a lot of work with Bravo Team."

She did not like the fact that Wesker was going to be off of work tomorrow. That meant she wasn't safe, because she knew Chris had to work. She swallowed softly, playing with a nearby pen she found on the counter.

"Anyone else off tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Brad is." Chris then peered at her curiously, as if catching the strange tension coming from his younger sister. "Claire? Are you alright?"

He sounded worried, and so Claire quickly thought of an excuse. She smiled faintly, nodding her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about college. I think I had a project I needed to finish not long after winter break. I better call up my roommate and ask to make sure."

Chris looked as though he didn't fully believe it, but dipped his head nonetheless. "Okay."

"Oh, by the way. I'm gonna go out with some friends tomorrow. I'm tired hanging around the house waiting for my oaf of a brother to get home," Claire chuckled.

Chris grinned. "Good. Just be careful. This might come as a surprise to you, but it's supposed to snow some more tomorrow."

Claire rolled her eyes. "Smartass. If it keeps snowing like it is, then we'll be trapped inside."

"It's Colorado. What do you expect?" Chris laughed.

"I know," she giggled. And though Raccoon City was located to the far east of the state, near the border of Kansas, there was still plenty of snow to go around.

"Why are you still wearing your clothes from earlier? I thought by now you would be in your pajamas and laying on the couch with a blanket watching old horror films," Chris asked.

"Oh, just in case I needed to go somewhere," Claire answered rather quickly. "Well, I am going to jump in the shower. It's time for pajamas now!"

Chris was taking off his gear now, vaguely nodding at her. "Alright, I'll cook some dinner."

* * *

The next morning after Chris left for work with Jill, Claire was quick to get ready and get out of the house. She didn't want to stick around if Wesker was going to come after her on his day off. Though she really didn't have any friends here in town to hang out with, she was determined to stay in the public and away from any chances that Wesker could grab her.

She regretted being bull-headed and going jogging on the trails. If she hadn't of gone, she would be safe and out of Wesker's grasps. William was right. She had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Damn her luck.

She wondered about William's involvement. She had no idea who the man was or what he did. She could tell he was a researcher or doctor of some kind. And though his behavior came off as a little odd, she could tell he was very intelligent and just as dangerous as Wesker. She could tell William and Wesker knew each other very well. Without a last name though, Claire wouldn't know where to start with William.

_That's it…I'm going to see Chief Irons. He's the only person who can stop Wesker…_

Claire jumped into the Dodge, driving straight for the precinct with a speeding heart. Traffic was slow because of morning rush and the weather, but she was prepared to deal with it. When she arrived, she parked the truck in the public area, and entered the grand building. She was already regretting her decision when the vast main hall engulfed her. Police officers, investigators, civilians, the press, and police dogs were all over the main hall. Claire could hear phones going off constantly, and voices echoed across the vast hall.

She got directions for the Chief's office. She was relieved she didn't have to sneak past the STARS office to get to it. Located on the second floor near the library, she was able to find the door easily. The emblem on the door read: _Chief of Police: Brian J. Irons_.

She was literally shaking now. She could feel her heart thumping quickly in her throat. She took a moment to gather herself and to think this over. Did she dare talk to the chief and risk her life and Chris's life? Did she dare to stay quiet and let Wesker intimidate her to the point that she waits for him to finally kill her and Chris?

She knocked on the door, nerves shocked. She listened, hearing only faint movement. "Come in!"

She slowly entered, closing the door behind her. There he was in his large office sitting at his desk. Brian Irons was in his late forties, plump, with brown receding hair and a brown mustache. He was currently wearing dark gray slacks with a white button up long sleeves shirt and a blue tie. She could see the jacket that went with this outfit hanging on the nearby coat rack. Irons was smoking a cigar, apparently doing some filing on his computer.

He stopped as he noticed her, as if surprised to see a stranger in his office. Claire glanced around the room for a moment; getting dark chills come across her. There was some taxidermy played out in the room. Like the large, taxidermy cougar right outside his door, she also spotted a fox, a standing black bear, a coyote, and a bobcat. Mounted on one of the walls were heads of two bucks. One was ten points, the other was twelve points. Then there was an elk and a moose beside them. All the animals seemed to stare with lifelike intensity, and it made her nervous.

"Can I help you?" Irons asked, sounding suspicious of her.

"Uh, yes. I came to report a crime that one of your officers covered up."

Irons raised an eyebrow, motioning her to take a seat in front of his desk. She slowly sat down, not liking at all how Irons was staring at her.

"You look familiar," he stated, beady eyes glaring.

"Chris Redfield's sister. I'm Claire."

"Oh, I see," Irons replied smoothly, puffing on his cigar and leaning back. "So, this sounds serious, Miss Redfield. Please do explain. I cannot have any crooked cops running around in my city."

"I was jogging out on one of the Arklay trails yesterday morning. I came across Albert Wesker. He was with a man named William. I saw them kill a man before they caught me. Wesker is blackmailing to stay quiet or he will kill Chris and me. He needs to be stopped!"

Irons had paled in the face for a moment, and then he took a deep breath, rubbing his eye. He carefully sat the cigar down on ashtray. She saw him very lightly press a button on his nearby telephone and pager. The smooth motion confused her, and she was starting to get nervous of his quiet reserve.

"That is a lot to take in," he finally said, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"What are you going to do about it? Our lives are in danger!"

The Chief held up his hand to silence her. "I assure you, Miss Redfield. You came to the right person. You are very lucky that you did not go to anyone else with this. We can't let this dangerous scenario fall into the wrong hands."

She didn't like how he was talking. She was gripping the arms of the chair to where her knuckles were now white. She saw Irons casually lace his fingers on her desk, studying her closely. He slowly shook his head.

"I hate to say this, but it sounds as though you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"W-what?" she grunted.

The door right behind the Chief opened up. Her heart just about stopped when she saw William enter into the room. She caught his eyes, and William's green eyes widened.

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah, oh shit in deed, William. I think you have some explaining to do here."

William quickly moved around to Claire, giving a nervous smile to Irons. "Oh, well, it was Albert's idea…all his fault. Not mine."

Irons was definitely getting annoyed now. "What the hell is he up to? We cannot risk having her talk if she saw you two screwing around! Sergei specifically told me that the trail was in the clear for you to take care of Finley!"

Claire was in shock. She realized she made a very big mistake. Irons was in on all of this too. She felt like throwing up. The Chief was standing now, pointing at William. She now realized that when Irons pressed the button on his telephone, he was actually paging William somehow.

"Get her out of here. Get rid of her and make sure she doesn't talk. I'm going to go have a talk with Albert right now."

"You think that is such a good idea?" William asked. "You might be in a higher position than him in the public's eye, but don't forget that Albert has control over you. He holds your contract. I wouldn't want to piss him off if I were you."

Irons slammed his fist down on the desk, making Claire jump. "That fucking bastard. I'll find a way. Take her away, William, before I shoot her myself."

"But I can't take her down into the lab!"

"Do it!"

William grabbed Claire's arm, quickly pulling her along towards the door he came from. Claire kept Irons' angry eyes, still in shock. William slammed the door behind them and he was quick to drag her along. Finally, it all hit Claire and she started fighting him.

"Let me go!"

"Are you stupid?" William hissed, whirling around on her. They were in some kind of dungeon looking room that really set off Claire's nerves.

"I need to stop him! And you!" Claire snapped.

"You can't! Albert controls the city. He's in charge over Irons for crying out loud! If you want to live you better start listening to him. You're lucky he didn't just kill you on the trail and make it look as though you disappeared forever."

She was still fighting him as he tried to pull her along. Claire felt tears coming to her eyes as realization dawned on her. She snapped, tugging against William and then punching him in the face.

He yelped and let her go. Claire immediately started running back to the door that would lead to Irons' office.

"You go through that door, and Irons will kill you," William said.

She slid to a halt in front of the door. She glared back at him. "Then he will be found out."

"You want to take that chance?" William inquired, covering an eye.

She couldn't take that chance. She was trapped. She turned back to William. She got herself into this mess, and may have just cost Chris his life. She slowly walked over to William, emotions flooding over her as she realized there was no escape now.

"Ugh, that freaking hurt," William growled. "Now, if you want to live, please follow me and no fighting. I would hate to have to inject you with an anesthetic to knock you out and drag your body down there."

"Where are we going?" she demanded, watching as William called an elevator.

The small, rusty elevator shook as it landed in place, dinging as the metal doors moved open with some complaint.

"You'll find out soon enough," sighed William. "Which means you will be in even more trouble. Albert is _not _going to be happy about this…at all."

* * *

**A/N: Oh Claire, how you just keep digging your grave deeper and deeper...She's in trouble now! What could happen next? :3 There's plenty in store for Claire, don't you guys worry! Well, sorry for the wait on this chapter. The past couple of weeks have been hectic. I had someone close to me pass away, and work and personal life has been crazy as well. I hope to get things on track this week. I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, and I very much appreciate all the reviews/favorites/and alerts of this fic so far! Have a good week, everyone and thanks so much!**


	5. Chapter 5: Dig it Deeper

**Chapter 5: Dig it Deeper**

Their hike through the sewers left Claire confused, lost, and worried. William apparently knew the routes well, and blabbed on about this and that with scientific terms and words that Claire didn't even understand as he rubbed his eye sorely. Her time spent following the man and thinking about a way to escape led her to believe that she would only get herself lost forever beneath the streets of Raccoon City. The sewers were unbelievably cold right now because of all the snow and ice above. Being underground did no help in staying warm.

If Claire gained anything from following William around, it was the fact that she became somewhat comfortable around him. William apparently didn't want to hurt her. And though she could tell that he wished that Wesker would have just killed her instead of causing all of these problems on their part, he still treated her as a person. He came off as eccentric to Claire, but she had no problems figuring out that he was a complete genius.

"How are you friends with Wesker? You two are complete-"

"Opposites?" William interrupted, slightly smiling. "Yeah, I get that a lot. We've known each other since we were kids. Grew up together. I guess we just accepted each other like that. He's like the brother I never had. I remember the first day we met. He was eight and I was six. You know what he did?"

Claire had a feeling this was going to stretch into a crazy story, but she decided to humor him. It was the only way she felt she was going to get herself to calm down walking in the labyrinth. "What?"

"Punched me in the nose. Broke it, that little bastard."

"What a strong, brotherly bond," Claire stated sarcastically. "And that just reinforces my feelings that Wesker is a total lunatic."

William chuckled. "You have no idea. But really, I don't have room to talk. Okay, we're here."

They had arrived to another elevator. William called it, and the doors opened easily. This elevator was clearly much more advanced and clean compared to the one they took to get down into the sewers. They stood side by side as the elevator descended deeper underground. Claire didn't understand where they could be going. She glanced over at William, saw him poking at his eye.

"Is it black?" he asked casually.

Claire, for some reason, felt guilty now. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, you had a complete right. You are trying to find a way out of Albert's web, even if that means punching me. This is why I try not to get involved with his crazy schemes. I have enough of my own as it is."

Claire decided to be brave and ask a question. "So, what are my chances of getting out of his web alive?"

William was quiet for a long moment, chewing on his lip. He was relieved to see the elevator doors sling open, and he practically threw himself out of the platform. "Uhh, coffee? I think I could use some."

He sounded nervous, which made her nervous. She swallowed hard. "William?"

He sighed long and hard. "No one's ever beaten Albert at his own game."

William played with his fingers for a moment, as if trying to think of some kind of advice to give her. He then shook his head and motioned her to follow him. "C'mon, I better get you into one of the break rooms."

His words had answered her fears, which struck her heart like ice. She took a deep breath and followed after the researcher, knowing that if she was going to survive this ordeal, she would have to beat Wesker at his own game.

They were now walking through white hallways, passing by many laboratories, testing rooms, and rooms with heavy machinery. Claire kept seeing the Umbrella logo on the walls where directions were pointed. She couldn't believe it. She was in an Umbrella Corporation building underneath Raccoon City. But this place didn't come off as a place studying for cures and medicines. This place gave her chills, feelings of darkness and vile greed. Something was very wrong here.

"What is this place? What do you do here? You work for Umbrella?"

"That's all classified," William answered. "I'm sorry, but I sure as hell can't let you find out what exactly is going on down here. If you find out, you will definitely be killed, and it won't be by Albert. So, just keep it to yourself, okay?"

Claire grew quiet, her nerves constricting as much as her lungs. Though this place was venting heat to keep employees comfortable, Claire felt like she was freezing. She saw animals in cages in one room, and saw researchers flicking syringes in another.

"Will, there you are!" came a woman's voice behind them.

William hissed, spinning around with Claire as they saw a slender, middle-aged woman with short blonde hair and green eyes and glasses walking for them in a white lab coat and cream colored pants. She had a clipboard in her arms as her eyes were drawn curiously to Claire, her eyebrows scrunched.

"It's the wicked witch. Stay quiet and go along with me," William whispered.

"William, who is this? And what the hell happened to your eye?"

"Hi honey! Uhh, this is Claire…she is doing business with Albert. Claire, this is my wife Annette. Oh my eye? Must've bumped into something."

Claire slowly nodded, but didn't say anything. Annette seemed suspicious, looking from her to William. She then slowly shook her head, glancing down at her clipboard.

"Okay, well, I'm sure she will be glad to hear that Albert is on his way down as we speak. Hanes would like to speak to you in his ward. The cellular levels of the frog specimens have mutated beyond what we have expected, but there is something wrong with the protein levels as well."

"Great. Well, I will definitely get to that after I hand Claire over to Albert. We were just going to wait for him in the break room up ahead."

Annette put the clipboard to her chest, glaring at William. "Drop the act, Will. Albert never comes down here when he is supposed to be at the Spencer estate. What's going on here?"

"Well, I, uhhh…"

"Get to Hanes. I'll take her to the break room."

William gave one last look to Claire, his expression on his face complex and unreadable, though Claire felt he was unsure about something. He weakly dipped his head at her and went off the other way, not looking back.

"Follow me," Annette stated, walking past Claire.

Claire stayed quiet, following William's wife down the hallway until they entered a small break room with a few tables, cabinets, and a kitchenette. Annette motioned to a chair at one of the tables, but Claire didn't want to sit down. Wesker was on his way at this very moment. She felt nauseas and almost had to run over to the nearest trash bin to puke. Annette studied her for a long moment, taking her glasses off and hanging them on her shirt.

"You…are scared. It's written all over your face," Annette stated calmly. She walked a few steps closer to Claire, her eyes never leaving the younger woman. "Let me guess…you were in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Claire slowly nodded, her heart jolting.

Annette's lips thinned, and for a moment, Claire could see contempt on the woman's face. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke again. "For the love of God, Albert. She's just a kid."

Claire wanted to ask her questions, but her eyes kept darting to the door and back to Annette, sure that Wesker was going to walk in any moment.

Annette seemed to take a moment to think carefully on her next words. "As much as I would like to know how you got into this mess, we don't have the time. Listen to me, and listen well, Claire. You do what Albert says. Don't listen to anyone else's advice to try and get out of this. You will live longer if you just do as he says."

Claire quickly shook her head. "I can't. I won't. He'll kill me and my brother."

Annette tapped her fingers along the clipboard. "Albert must have seen something in you. Otherwise, he would have killed you on the spot. If you want to try and fight your way out of this, be my guest. But I assure you, like the others, you won't get very far."

"O-others?"

Annette thinned her lips, quickly speaking on. "Look, just be careful, whatever you do. I can't help you much. The only people who really know Albert are William, Colonel Sergei, and Ada Wong. I doubt William will tell you much. He's my husband, but he is also a coward when it comes to standing up against his own best friend. If Sergei finds out about you, then you are dead either way. If you happen to meet Ada…then you are way too deep in this mess to get out alive."

Those were not the options Claire wanted to hear. "I take it all the others…died?"

"Some of them met a much crueler fate than that. I don't know how you got into this; I suppose I can get the details from William later. I do know that you are too young and innocent to get mixed up with this…with Albert. I really hope you can find your freedom, Claire."

"Thank you, Annette. You've given me some good advice."

Annette's eyes fell to the floor for a moment. "Down here…we play God everyday. I know it's wrong…so wrong. And I know we will all get what's coming to us in the end. It's the least I can do."

They heard the door to the break room opening. Annette turned away from Claire, twitching a weak smile at the younger woman. "Good luck, Claire."

Claire felt like a deer caught in headlights as that door opened. Wesker walked in, leaving the door open behind him as Annette was heading out. They barely acknowledged each other, Annette having her eyes on the door, and Wesker having his eyes on Claire.

"Good morning, Albert," Annette stated briskly, walking by.

"Anne," Wesker stated simply.

Annette closed the door behind her and was gone, leaving Claire alone with the STARS Captain. His few steps towards her caused Claire to feel flighty. She quickly moved her feet to where she now had a table in between them.

Wesker heaved a sigh, pulling off his sunglasses and slipping them inside his black jacket. It was the first time she saw him out of uniform. He wore a black, formal outfit instead today. His grey-blue eyes studied her like a hawk, and Claire could tell he was none too pleased with her screw-up.

"You are either more imprudent than I first thought or you are unable to listen at all and I should just go ahead and kill you and your brother. Though, I must say, you are quite brave as well."

Claire shook her head. "Don't hurt Chris."

Wesker walked over to the table, making Claire tense. He moved slowly around the rim, towards her. Claire gingerly moved in the opposite direction of him, her eyes not leaving his lean, muscular frame or those intense eyes.

"And you?" he questioned.

"I learned my lesson. I swear I won't do it again."

"You learned your lesson?" Wesker sneered, finding humor in her words somewhere. He chuckled softly, his movements still slowly coming for her.

She glanced to the door, knowing it would be futile to run for it and try to escape, but it still tempted her as her nerves were burning with electricity. Finally, she came to a stop, knowing that this was just going to go on and on until she gave up. She flinched when Wesker reached her.

"You've cost me a good deal of work today. And you've also stirred up some trouble. Chris thinks you are missing since the truck is parked at the precinct and you are nowhere around. How do you propose we fix that without having you turn up dead in a ditch somewhere?"

His words were cold as he glared down at her, his frame slightly leaned in to her. Claire's heart was beating so fast, it threatened to burst straight from her chest. She could only imagine the thought of Wesker killing her and tossing her into a ditch to be found with no evidence.

"Lucky for you, dear heart," Wesker said, slowly reaching up to run his fingers through a strand of her hair. "That's not my style. So, how are you going to correct this?"

It was up to Claire to come up with a believable story to tell Chris to cover this up or risk killing them both. She thought quickly and efficiently, her brain on overdrive from her pulsing nerves.

"I…I'll tell Chris that I was at the library…got sidetracked with a friend or something."

The large, public library was just down the block from the precinct. Claire went there a lot while she was down. It would make sense, except maybe Chris had already checked it already.

"Are you sure that will be enough to satiate Chris's worry? He's already been out searching for you with other STARS members, has already contacted a few of your friends. He even called me, so at this point I am out there on my day off from work looking for you. Try again, dear heart," Wesker said, folding his arms.

"I don't know. Has he gone to the house yet? I can tell him I was just dropping off the truck and got a ride over to a friend's house and then just walked home."

Claire hoped that would work. Growing up with Chris taking mom and dad's place as parent and guardian made Chris be able to read her like a book. Wesker seemed to consider it.

"Very well. Then let's get you over to the house. But I assure you, dear heart, if your story is not pulled off, you and Chris are dead. You better be a good actress."

She barely nodded, and almost collapsed when he moved away. He motioned to her to follow him. Claire's feet did not want to obey, but she reluctantly moved them forward. As Claire was following Wesker through the hallways of the underground lab, she saw William coming around the corner, eyes wide and face pale.

"What's wrong, Will?" Wesker asked, coming to a halt so sudden that Claire almost bumped into him.

"Sergei! He's here! Hide her or we're all dead! Annette's stalling him right now. I think Irons called him down here! He wants to talk to you about a girl…it has to be Claire."

Claire didn't know who this Colonel Sergei was, but judging by how William was shaking like a small dog, she figured he was bad news. She looked up at Wesker, saw him clench his jaw. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly grabbed her arm with intense strength and started dragging her in another direction. William followed after them, his voice shaky.

"H-hide her in the storage room!"

"No time. She's going in one of the lockers in your lab," Wesker answered calmly.

"That'll be the first place he looks!" William hissed.

"Not if I have a choice in the matter."

They came into a large laboratory. Claire wanted to fight Wesker's hold on her arm, but knew that this was a matter of life or death. She hardly had any time to look around the large lab before the STARS Captain opened a tall locker in the back, and shoved her inside. He slammed the door and Claire pushed her back into the metal in the hopes of disappearing. She could see out of the cracks of the locker to see Wesker and William standing side by side not far from the locker. They were near a table, pretending to go over some papers. Claire was trying to slow and quiet her breathing.

"Be quiet, dear heart," Wesker stated, his tone calm. "Will, knock it off. You'll give us away."

"I'm sorry! I'm having a bad day!"

"What happened to your eye?"

"Claire punched me."

Claire heard Wesker sigh. "Don't tell Sergei that."

"I'll tell him you punched me. He'll believe me."

Claire saw Annette entering into the laboratory with a few mercenaries right behind her. There was a tall, broad man as well, dressed in a brown trench coat and a blue military uniform underneath. The uniform had the Umbrello logo on the left breast. He was clean shaven, with silver hair and a scar that went down his right eye and had left it useless. He had an icy blue eye that scanned the room as he followed behind Annette.

"See? Here they are," Annette said, sounding annoyed. "You better have good reason for bothering us like this, or I will be reporting to Spencer."

"Relax, Mrs. Birkin. I was sent here because Irons called me. He said there was a girl that knew too much and was loose running around with Wesker. Is that true?"

"It was true. I already disposed of her," Wesker answered simply.

Sergei was definitely Russian. His accent was thick, and Claire wondered what he had to do with Umbrella. He walked forward, stopping just on the other side of the table of William and Wesker.

"Really, comrade? You aren't one to mess up and leave a trail. How did this girl find out too much?"

"Ask all the questions you want. I have already spoken to Spencer about it and the incident is taken care of. There is no point in answering your questions. So it seems your little trip down here was a waste of time."

Sergei chuckled icily. "Play your game, comrade. I know that you are the coyote in this company. You better hope I don't find or hear anything more on this girl. I know the two of you. You both assassinated your mentor, James Marcus. You both turned Lisa Trevor into a monster for your own gain. The list goes on and on. Whatever you were planning to do to the girl, I will do all in my power to make sure it will not harm Lord Spencer's reputation or be for the ill of Umbrella. Do I make myself clear?"

"You always do, Sergei," Wesker stated, tone cool.

"Very clear. We hear you," William added.

"Glad to hear it," Sergei chuckled, rubbing his palms together. He then noticed William's black eye. "What happened to your eye, William?"

"Albert punched me," William answered quickly.

Sergei studied him for a moment, looking suspicious, and then lightly shook his head and turned around. He motioned for his mercenaries to head out, and they left the room first. Annette stepped out of the way as the Colonel came through. The Russian man stopped in the threshold of the entrance to the lab, looking over his shoulder at Wesker, William, and Annette.

"You can manipulate many people, comrade, but don't think that you can fool me."

With that, the Colonel left with his men. William just about collapsed out of relief. Annette put her hand to her eyebrows, turning and walking over to the two men. Wesker opened the door and pulled Claire out.

"That was a close call," William sighed.

Annette glared at Wesker. "This is all your fault, Albert. I have no idea what you are planning and what you will get out of it, but do NOT risk us in the process. You owe William for far more than you'll admit, so you-"

"Okay, honey," William said, grabbing her. "He gets the point. Albert, I suggest you make like a goose and skedaddle out of here."

"It looks as though we are going to have to remind Brian Irons where his place is," Wesker stated

"I agree," William said, nodding.

Wesker and Claire headed out. They walked the massive underground lab until they found their way out into the sewers again. Wesker led Claire through a different route underground. When they reached level ground, they came out into the Umbrella Pharmacy a few blocks down from the precinct. Claire couldn't believe it as they walked out of the store without a strange stare from any of the employees. Wesker's Jaguar was parked on the curb outside. Wesker opened the door for her and she climbed in.

"Who was that guy?" Claire asked as Wesker got in and started up the luxury sports car.

"Sergei Vladmir. Somebody who will kill you if he finds you," Wesker stated simply.

"Why are you risking so much to keep me alive?"

Wesker twitched a smile, slipping on his sunglasses and glancing over at her. "That is quite a greedy statement to make. Are you so sure it is only you? Maybe I have a plan involving you that is worth the risk."

She grew quiet as the Jaguar pulled off, the engine roaring under the hood as Wesker drove for Chris's house. Claire knew her grave was being dug deeper and deeper each moment. Her only chance was to fight back. She had to find a way to get Wesker exposed to the public, to get him out of the way without leaving a trail for Umbrella to follow her. She would have to beat Wesker at his own game…whatever that game was.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I had promised to upload it earlier this week, but I realized I didn't like the chapter too much so wrote it again. I'm still unsure about it, but I guess I will see if you guys like it or not. It is a bit shorter than the older version, but I felt it had to be. Anyways, hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter. More intense chapters to come...like next chapter! Claire gets in deeper...if that is even possible...poor girl lol. Thanks everyone! :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking and Entering

**Chapter 6: Breaking and Entering**

Claire hadn't slept well the night before. Chris accidentally woke her up from the little sleep she had managed to get when he was getting ready for work the next morning. Groaning, Claire decided to get up and make some coffee. While rummaging through the refrigerator downstairs in the kitchen, she saw some bagels. Simple and easy, and she was sure her brother would enjoy one before work. The coffee was almost done brewing as Chris came jogging down the stairs in his uniform. He had bare feet though with a fresh pair of socks in his hand.

"Have you seen my boots?" he asked. "Oh, what are you doing up anyways?"

"Good morning to you too, bro," Claire sighed, twitching a smile. "Your boots are by the front door.

"Thanks, and good morning!"

Chris hadn't said much to her about her "disappearance" yesterday. Wesker role played the part well on how she managed to drop the truck off at the precinct and get a ride to a friend's house and then walked home. Claire played a pretty well part herself, though she felt guilty for lying to her brother. Chris believed her, just like he always had. He believed his Captain, just like he always had because he looked up to Wesker, and thanked him for locating Claire right here at home, when in reality, she got caught inside the precinct just down the hall from Chris's desk.

She watched as Chris slipped on his socks and boots. He got up from the couch and went over where he had his supply belt and gun ready to strap on him. Claire got him his coffee and bagel and he sat down at the kitchen's bar with his sister to eat. Claire chewed on her bagel while in deep thought. At first, she was wondering what she was going to do today, but then it quickly changed on how she was going to survive today.

"So, what do you want for Christmas?"

The question came out of nowhere, and Claire shook out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, I don't know. What do you want?"

"Don't twist this around! I asked you first, sis!"

_I'd really like to be able to save both our asses from the trouble I got us into that you don't know about…_

Claire meekly smiled. "How about I think on it today?"

"Fair enough."

Chris downed the rest of his coffee, in which Claire made a face at that. He took their empty dishes to the sink and was about to head for the door to wait for Jill, when he suddenly halted in his steps.

"Oh crap, I forgot to write down Richard's new address," he stated, going over to one of the junk drawers in the kitchen and pulling out an address book. He got a pen and started writing down the new information after flipping through a few pages.

Curious, Claire walked over. She had never noticed the address book before. "New address?"

"Yeah, he moved to a new house. It's protocol to keep up to date addresses and phone numbers of all the STARS members on hand at home. Just in case of an emergency or anything."

Chris finished writing it all down, closed the book and shoved it back into the drawer. By that time, Jill's honk from her car echoed into the house. Chris smiled bright, turning and heading for the door. He ruffled Claire's hair.

"See ya later, kiddo!"

"I'm not a kid!"

"You'll always be one to me even when you're fifty!"

Claire stuck her tongue out at him, and Chris returned the face before shutting the front door and jumping into Jill's Mustang. The car pulled out of the driveway from behind the Dodge Ram, and headed for the precinct. Claire watched the window for a moment, thinking about what to do next. She could try and go back to sleep, but she didn't see that happening.

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she withdrew the address book once again. She started flipping through it. This address book was strictly for STARS members of both Alpha and Bravo teams. The names were listed in alphabetical order by last name. Chris's handwriting always reminded her of chicken scratch, but she had grown used to reading it. She could make out names, addresses, and phone numbers for every STARS member that worked at the RPD. The final name in the back brought her to the Captain of the whole STARS unit. It read: Wesker, Albert. 1251 Aspen Circle West. Raccoon City, Colorado. Phone number: 765-555-9065.

Claire definitely knew the neighborhood. She had a friend that once lived there. Aspen Circle was on the west side of the very nice, sophisticated suburban area. It was definitely for people who had a lot of money. Her friend's parents had been a surgeon and a Marine veteran. Somehow, STARS Captain didn't come off as making THAT much. Still, whatever conspiracy Wesker was involved with. Whatever Umbrella had to do with it. He was a dirty cop, and she was sure he was getting payoffs and anything else.

Her Redfield brain was already coming up with a plan even before she slapped the address book shut and put it back in the drawer. It was a risky idea, a plan that could get her caught and killed. She tapped her fingers on the counter, chewing on her lower lip.

_I could break into his house while he is at work…I might be able to find some evidence that will get Wesker thrown in prison, and this conspiracy brought to light. I could get Chris and myself out of this situation!_

It was risky, but at this point, she didn't know what else to do. Wesker obviously had some plans for her, and that meant she might not have a chance in the future. She ran up stairs quickly to start getting ready. Aspen Circle was just a few blocks from here. She could walk to the address and find a way through the back. Jill had taught her well enough on how to pick a lock. If she remained inconspicuous, she should be able to get into the house easily, and have plenty of time to search up some evidence without getting caught.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Determination was set on her features, and she barely nodded at her reflection. _I'm going to do this. I have to save us somehow!_

* * *

The snow was everywhere, and the cold was biting at her face. Claire had walked all the way to Aspen Circle on her own, bundled up in a black coat and an orange scarf. She wore blue jeans and a pair of boots, along with a tight brown sweater. The sidewalks and roads had been freshly salted yet again, and her breaths came off in light puffs in each breath. It was still early morning, which gave her an advantage. Most people were either still asleep or already at work.

She easily spotted Wesker's house in the circle drive. It was a two story house near the far side of the circle. It was a new brick house, much like the others in this area. It had a private fence in the large backyard. There was a two door garage attached to the house, but there were no cars or lights on. Wesker had to be there before all the other Alpha team members, so there was no way he was home. The front porch was easy to walk up to, but Claire was going to have to get in the back in order to prevent any chances of anyone seeing her break in. She casually walked up towards the house, slipping into the small grassy alleyway between Wesker's house and the neighbor's.

Claire looked all around. The neighborhood was quiet; she didn't even hear any dogs barking. She looked up to the top of the privacy fence, a good ten feet tall. She didn't know of a good way she was going to be able to climb over that. And then she saw it. There was a break in the fence near the far corner of the yard. She went down to it, noticing that the wooden board had been broke away or fallen off. The hole was small, but she squeezed herself through without much trouble. Her nerves were getting the best of her as she found herself in the backyard.

The ground was evenly layered with bright white snow. There wasn't much in the backyard, save for a small shed and a small back porch. She went onto the back porch, trying the back door. It was locked like she suspected, so quickly got to work. She was glad the privacy fence actually helped hide her from any outside eyes as she tingled with the door. Jill's teachings managed to pull off, and Claire opened the back door. The warmth from the inside seeped out in lolling winds as she opened the door. She listened for a moment, but the house was eerily silent.

She decided to take off her wet boots and coat to prevent leaving any signs in the house. She kept them on the back porch and slipped inside. When she shut the door behind her, she felt as though she had locked herself in the lion's den.

She could hear her heart beating so fast, knocking in her ribcage and making her fingers shiver not from the cold, but from anxiety. She took a moment to catch her breath and calm down. She would find her evidence and leave quickly and quietly. No problem.

The inside of the house was neatly kept, with all wooden floors and area rugs. Brand new furniture turned up everywhere. One thing that Claire noticed quickly was that there were no personal pictures hanging up in frames. None of Wesker or his family or friends. It was mostly artful paintings or photographs. She could see the staircase wrapping up to the second floor hall. Claire stood in the living room, lost and unable to think of where to start first.

_He must have a study or something that he would keep everything in. I should try looking for something like that first._

As she was going over her thoughts, she froze as she heard the very recognizable sound of nails clicking on the hardwood floor. The clicking was cautious and deliberate. She felt ice shoot up her spine and the hair on the back of her neck shot up. Claire had grown up with enough pets to know that a dog had just come up behind her. And by the sound of the nails clicking, it wasn't a Yorkshire Terrier.

_Something tells me that it isn't a cute little terrier…_

Claire slowly turned around, shocked and almost sick to her stomach. She hadn't even considered a dog. Wesker did not seem like the kind of man to like dogs. Her heart shot up into her throat when she saw a very large, very intimidating Doberman Pinscher. The dog had to weigh a hundred pounds, with large paws and a very intense gaze. It was a black and tan Doberman, and its ears were cropped and tail was docked. It wore a silver choke chain collar around its neck with tags. The sleek, muscular dog was rigid, and Claire saw it licking its lips.

She very gingerly took a step back, trying to swallow the panic that was quickly trying to boil through her lungs. As soon as she moved, the Doberman bared its teeth, a deep, ghastly growl coming from its throat as its hackles bristled. The white teeth shown off finely against the black coat of the guard dog.

Claire knew she had no chance to make a run for the back door. She had no time to run for the front door and unlock it. She was frozen in place, mind racing on how she was going to get out of this situation. She tried to talk to the dog.

"Easy, boy…down boy…" her voice cracked.

Her eyes darted around for anything. A weapon, a room with a door, anything. The closest room was a bathroom right under the staircase. She knew it would be a deadly risk, but she had to try. If the Doberman knocked her to the floor she was done for. She was brought back to a memory when she was playing with some of her friends, and a Chow mix had gotten loose from a yard near the park they were playing in. She remembered one her friends' dad got the dog to go after him instead of them and the damage it caused when it slammed into the full grown man viciously and knocked him to the ground.

Claire loved dogs. And she could obviously see that this Doberman was trained to protect this house at any cost. But now her life was really on the line if she made one mistake making a run for that bathroom.

She took a deep breath, eyes on the snarling Doberman and made a break for it. She heard the Doberman bark madly, its claws scraping along the hardwood floor as it shot for her as well. Claire felt like a prey animal desperately trying to escape a hungry predator. She was just inches from the doorway, when she felt jaws latch around her ankle with crushing force.

Yelping out in pain, Claire crashed into the wall, the Doberman ripping and tearing at her ankle through her jeans and trying to pull her down. Claire tried to kick the dog off, but it only latched its jaws down harder and tugged back. Claire felt herself slipping and kicked the Doberman in the head with her other foot. The dog didn't register the kick, but suddenly let go to leap for her throat. In those few precious seconds, Claire managed to slip into the bathroom and slam the door. The force of the dog lunge broke the door open before she could get it fully locked. Claire had to push up against the door, as she saw a long snout and fangs slipping through the threshold snarling and barking viciously. Finally, the dog slipped back, and Claire was able to shut the door all the way and lock it. She heard the Doberman howling like a crazed beast, its claws desperately scratching at the door as it tried to force its way through.

Claire slid down onto the floor, watching blood seep all over the bathroom floor. The pain was intense, and she couldn't move her ankle. She looked desperately all around, but had found her luck only to worsen. She found herself in a half-bath with no window whatsoever to escape through. She let her head fall back against the door, tears filling her eyes from the pain. Sweat rolled down her temples as she desperately caught her breath. Her simple plan to break into Wesker's house and find some evidence had just turned into a nightmare.

Her chances of escaping were slim to none. She looked around the half-bath, hoping for something she could use. She grabbed a towel that was hanging above the sink, and wrapped it around her bleeding ankle and tightened it. There was a toilet, a sink, and a cabinet above the sink, but not much else. She checked the cabinet, only finding some first aid items, including peroxide and rubbing alcohol. She noticed the small brown rug on the floor by the toilet, and then she started thinking again. She needed to get out of here or she was finished. The dog had grown quiet, but she knew it was still outside the door.

_The rubbing alcohol can be used to knock the dog out if I can get it over its head good enough and be able to hold it. But it will only last a few minutes. This bottle is almost empty. But it should buy me enough time to escape._

She poured the rubbing alcohol all over the rug and grabbed it from the floor. She could smell it taking over the bathroom soon afterward, and limped back over to the door to ready herself. She cautiously turned the doorknob, swallowing hard and opened the door just a crack. The Doberman hit the door hard, resuming its snarling. Claire managed to throw the rug on the dog's head, and grab a hold of its neck to keep the rug on tight. The dog was extremely strong, slamming her all around and snarling fiercely. The Doberman managed to latch down on her palm as her grip slipped from the rug. She ignored the pain that shot up her arm and quickly grabbed the rug again and hoped the rubbing alcohol would hurry up and work.

Finally the dog was slowing down, getting disoriented but still growling until it collapsed on the floor unconscious. Claire didn't even bother to lift the rug from the dog's head, she quickly got up and was heading for the back door of the house to get her stuff and leave. She ignored the extreme pain that shot up her ankle as she moved, desperate to get out.

In her haste to go for the back door, she slid to a halt as she heard the front door unlocking and opening. Panic seized her once more, and she was still dripping blood all over the floor.

* * *

Wesker hadn't even been at work for two hours before he got the alert on his pager that the security system in his home had gone off. It was a little something he put up to alert only him. Unfortunately, Wesker had to store some valuable information in his house that would not be safer anywhere else. He went through a lot of money to ensure the quality of the silent security system. That, and his Doberman Pinscher, Odin, was extremely well trained under his command to protect the property. The dog had killed two Umbrella lowlifes in two separate incidents who thought they could break into the house to find something to use against Wesker.

The Alpha team gave him questioning looks as he got up to leave and left Barry in charge. He told them that he had important matters to take care of and should be back within a few hours. Wesker knew it all depended on the situation once he got over to his house. He trusted that Odin took out the intruder, and if they were still alive in his house then Wesker would dispose of them like any other. He left the RPD and drove for home in his Jaguar. He pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. He studied the front windows and door carefully, but nothing seemed different. When he unlocked the front door and opened it, he was not greeted by his Doberman as usual.

The house was eerily quiet, and the smell of rubbing alcohol hit his nose faintly. He looked down towards the staircase, saw that his dog was unconscious and there was blood all over the floor with the bathroom door open wide. He heard noise coming from the back of the house, and quickly pursued it. He caught Claire Redfield just as she was opening the back door, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. He aimed his gun at her, his voice making her jump.

"I wouldn't dare it, dear heart."

She slowly turned, noticing the barrel of the gun not far from her face. Claire lowered her eyes, quickly defeated and shut the door. Wesker looked her up and down. Her ankle was bleeding, even with a towel wrapped around it and her left palm was a bloody mess as well. Wesker slowly shook his head, sighing. He holstered his weapon, nodding his head back towards the living room. Claire slowly and quietly complied, limping along and growing pale.

"You really know how to get yourself in trouble. Did you think you were going to break into my house so easily and find something that was going to save you and your brother?"

They came back to the bathroom where the Doberman was still knocked out. While Claire fiddled with her fingers nervously, Wesker bent down to see if Odin was still alive. After securing that, he straightened back up, glaring at Claire through his sun glasses.

"So, you break into my home, get blood everywhere, knock out my precious Doberman Pinscher, and attempt to escape right under my nose. You have a lot of explaining to do, dear heart. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now just like I did with the poor souls who tried it before that my dog did not finish off."

"You got it right. I was wanted evidence to use against you," Claire grumbled.

Wesker lifted his arms, as if motioning all around him. "Go ahead, try it. Let's see what you can find."

Claire didn't move, her throat high and her heart beating so fast she thought she was going to die of a heart attack. In an instant, the Doberman came to, sitting up and snorting. He got to his paws and shook himself. The dog continued to sneeze for a moment until he noticed his owner, and the docked tail started to wiggle. Odin walked over to Wesker and licked his hand before sitting on his haunches and peering at Claire. He growled softly, baring fangs, but Wesker hushed the dog with a command.

"Odin here has killed two men who broke into this same house on different occasions, looking for the same thing you seek. You should count yourself lucky, Miss Redfield."

"So what are you going to do to me?" Claire asked, her voice weak.

"As much trouble as you are in, I still must applaud you, dear heart. You are probably the bravest young woman I have ever met. Your continuous plans to try and escape from me prove entertaining, and I am quite impressed that you managed to think up of something as clever as knocking Odin here out with rubbing alcohol, and succeeding at it on top of that. But, as I have warned you before, this bravery and stubbornness of yours will get you killed sooner than you think one way or another."

Claire lowered her eyes, slowly nodding at him. "I understand."

"Now, I better get you cleaned up. I need to go collect my supplies upstairs," Wesker sighed. He looked down to the Doberman, who cocked his head and watched his master intently. "Watch."

The single word made the dog snort, and Wesker turned and left up the stairs. Claire watched him go before glancing back down at the Doberman. Odin peered at her with full attention, ears pricked forward, eyes bright, but no sign of aggression even if she managed to knock him out. The intelligent guard dog kept vigil with Claire not moving until Wesker came back downstairs with a large first aid kit. He motioned her to the nearest couch in the living room, and she sat down.

Wesker sat down across from her, grabbing her ankle to unwrap the towel after opening the kit. Odin trotted into the living room after them, coming over to sniff Claire curiously with his tail slightly wagging before lying down by the couch. Claire watched the Doberman warily as he sniffed her with a completely different demeanor.

"Don't worry about him. He knows that you are a guest now," Wesker stated.

Claire looked away from the bite on her ankle, it was already swollen and bruising.

"Funny," she stated tartly. "Didn't figure you as a guy who likes dogs."

Wesker lightly chuckled, cleaning the wound on her ankle gently and making her wither slightly. "Apparently we have much to learn about each other, isn't that right, dear heart?"

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for the late, late update! I had so many ideas for this chapter, and finally settled on this one! Hope you all enjoyed it and I hope it made up for my long absence! I really hope that I can start getting back on schedule now that overtime has slowed down, as well as work with the horses and such. So review and tell me what you think, it's been so long since I've read any familiar names, I feel like a recluse lol! :) Thanks for all of the reviews/alerts/faves to this story so far as well, you guys rock!**


	7. Chapter 7: Ada's Entrance

**Chapter 7: Ada's Entrance**

It was a slow process to clean Claire's wounds and bandage them. Claire was tense the entire time watching Wesker tend to her. Not much was said between them as the bandages were applied and Wesker took the time afterward to clean up the mess in the house while Claire remained on the couch staring down at her lap. Pain pulsed from her ankle and hand but the wounds were definitely better now that they were bandaged.

The Doberman lay across from her on the floor, eyes flicking from her to Wesker's movements in the other room. Wesker came back into the living room a few minutes later, carrying her boots and jacket that she had left on the back porch. He hung her jacket up, and sat her boots by the front door. The STARS captain sat down on the couch across from her, making Odin stick his head up to look at him. Wesker patted the Doberman on the head, his smile directed upon Claire.

"So, I'm curious on the story you plan to make up to Chris yet again. I'm dying to hear it."

Claire blinked, shock taking over her. "You're…j-just going to let me go again?"

Wesker leaned back on the sofa. "You are by no means getting out of punishment, dear heart. Everything you do has a consequence. I'm going to inform you now that if you start to become more trouble than you are worth…which you came dangerously close to in your little breaking and entering escapade, than I will kill you on the spot. And that means Chris will have to follow. Do I make myself clear, Miss Redfield?"

Claire clenched her jaw. "Crystal."

"Good, so you better start coming up with a convincing story within the next few minutes."

Claire started to think, her mind racing. In the back of her mind she knew that Chris wasn't going to let this one go so easily. It didn't help at the fact that Wesker was getting more amusement out of this than she wanted. How was she supposed to explain her ankle and hand to her brother? A random attack from a strange dog on a normal walk could seem logical, but it wasn't likely, especially without making a scene. Chris would want details and proof. She couldn't just tell him that and expect him to shake his head. Chris would want to know where, what kind of dog, who owned it and what happened to the dog and if she called animal control or went to the hospital.

As she was thinking, Odin suddenly got to his paws and trotted over to the front door. Wesker and Claire looked over just as the knob was jingling. It opened a moment later, and William walked in carrying a folder, a set of keys, a mug of coffee, and a donut.

"Alright, got the body bags and everything is all good to dump the bodies in the sewers below the Training Facility so let's…"

The eccentric researcher trailed off as he saw Claire and Wesker peering up at him. He blinked, casually smiled, and decided to say hello to the patient Doberman who was eyeing the donut.

"Hello Odin! No, you cannot have my donut!" William exclaimed, walking towards the couches. He then frowned at Wesker after looking questioningly at Claire. "I thought you said someone broke into your house?"

"Why else would Claire be here?" Wesker inquired.

"Oh, well I'm surprised she's still alive." William paused, and then smiled at Claire. "No offense."

"None taken," Claire mumbled, surprised herself.

"William, I need for you to drop Claire off at her house. I need to get back to work," Wesker sighed, standing to his feet.

William was munching on his donut, glaring at his partner. "Yeah, I'm already an hour late to the lab! Those spermatozoa are not going to fertilize those ova by themselves you know!"

He then looked to Claire. "I was not describing sex per se but that's the best way I can describe it without giving away any confidential details within my experiments."

"It's on the way, Will. Besides, Chris's neighborhood knows my vehicle and myself. It would be hard to explain if someone were to see us together and inform Chris. It would be better if you do it since you are a stranger."

"Yeah, what's she going to tell Chris? That she's having an affair with a married man?" William snorted. He received glares from both Claire and Wesker. "Alright, alright, jeez! But you owe me for this, Albert! Big time! Like pick up Sherry from school for me one day or kill Victor Ulmer because he is so annoying for me big!"

Wesker turned to Claire. "Your lives are on the line, Miss Redfield. Better have a convincing story to tell Chris by the time he gets home tonight. You still have no evidence against me, dear heart. If I were you, I would not want Chris to start getting suspicious."

Claire slowly nodded, heart heavy and head hurting. She turned to follow William out of the front door, looking down to the sitting Doberman. The dog cocked his head at her, peering at her casually. Claire gingerly reached down at petted Odin on the head. He was tense at first but then quickly sniffed her hand and licked it. Claire gave one last look to Wesker, whose intense gaze behind those sunglasses remained on her, until she got her stuff and left the house and got into William's BMW M3.

* * *

The ride home in William's car was quiet only until the car was out of Aspen Circle before William started talking. Claire quickly got lost in William's rambling, looking out the window and trying to think of what she was going to tell her brother. After yet another failed attempt to find evidence against Wesker, Claire was starting to wonder if she was ever going to free herself and Chris. It seemed Wesker was always a few steps ahead. What Claire needed to do, was find away to get a few steps ahead of Wesker himself. She was then brought back to Annette's words when she was in the underground laboratory.

Annette had warned her to do exactly as Wesker says and don't try and win his game, that she would live longer if she did. Living longer still meant she was going to die in the end. She also said that the three people who know Wesker the best and could help her escape were William, Colonel Sergei, and Ada Wong. William was too much of a coward to go against Wesker whether he wanted to or not. Claire couldn't blame him as she glanced over to William as he talked about earth worms and something she couldn't keep up with. Sergei would kill her if he found out about her at all. The incident involving him in the underground laboratory convinced Claire that she would definitely need to avoid him. And then there was the mysterious Ada Wong. All Annette had said about her was that if Claire had managed to meet up with Ada that she would then be too deep in this mess to get out alive.

Claire heaved a sigh, but she had to do something. She didn't want to listen to Wesker only to live for a little while longer. She wanted her freedom and to expose Wesker for what he was.

As Claire pointed out Chris's house, William pulled up against the curb in front of the house and looked over at her. "Well, here ya are. Good luck with your story for your brother. Just don't tell him it was Bigfoot. I tried that before, it didn't work."

"Thanks William," Claire answered, she then hesitated, wondering for a moment. "Hey William…do you know how I could find and talk to Ada Wong?"

William choked on his bottled water while he was getting a drink. "Uhh A-Ada who? I don't know an Ada Wong! Ada who? She sounds Chinese! I can't speak Chinese! Albert can, but I can't! I don't know this lady!"

"William, calm down!" Claire exclaimed. "Annette told me about her, it's okay."

William just about collapsed in his seat, his hands firmly on the steering wheel. "Oh well…then in that case, the only way to talk to her is by going to the Spencer estate, and if you do that, then you will end up dead before you reach the front doors. Sorry."

"She never comes into the city?" Claire asked, glaring at him suspiciously.

William held up a finger, closing his eyes with a smirk. "I never said that!"

"Then where and when can I find her in the city?" Claire grumbled.

William tapped his fingers rapidly on the steering wheel while thinking. He was stiff, holding his breath. He suddenly let loose a long sigh, it slowly turning into a groan. "Why…exactly do you need to talk to Ada?"

"Annette said that she's one of the few people who know Wesker the best. I need help to get my brother and me out of this. Please William!"

"The likelihood of her helping you is tremendously low, especially with the risk it will involve. I-I don't know…"

"Then how am I supposed to win this game?" Claire asked, her eyes staring at William's nervous face.

"A-alright, tell you what. I'll talk to Ada. You can meet her in the park tomorrow at noon. Go to the statue of Mary in the central courtyard. If she is not there, then she did not agree to meet you and you can just go home."

Out of her excitement and relief, Claire reached over and latched her arms around William. "Thank you, William! Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me!"

William gave a sheepish smile. "I actually quite understand your predicament. I've been there before with my family. Just…be careful, and if you or Ada get caught by Albert, I will deny it all."

Claire dipped her head. "I understand. I just hope this Ada Wong woman can help me find a way."

"Oh I'm sure she can come up with a sly plan to go against Albert. Between you and me…she's the only person to ever beat Albert at his own game, and Albert holds a deep respect and infatuation for her. They are allies, which I would be very wary of, but Ada should understand your predicament and agree to help you."

"Don't get me wrong, Claire. I would love to help you personally. Annette would as well. But I can't go against Albert. He's my…family."

Claire frowned, feeling William's emotions as the brilliant researcher looked up from his lap and smiled weakly at her.

"I owe him too much. He's saved my life…my family's. I just can't."

"Don't worry about it. Thank you, William. I understand. I'm sorry that I've asked this of you," Claire sighed, opening the door.

"Good luck, Claire."

She nodded slowly, her lips twitching slightly into a barely noticeable smile as she shut the car door. William drove off in the BMW M3, leaving Claire staring after the car on the curb. She heaved another sigh, turning and limping towards the house. Tomorrow she would hopefully meet Ada Wong and create a plan to get out of Wesker's web. Claire just hoped the woman would come and truly be on her side.

* * *

By the time Chris got home that evening, Claire had taken a shower, did some studying, talked to some friends on the phone, and changed out her bandages. She had also cooked dinner, and it was ready as soon as her older brother walked through the door after being dropped off by Jill in the Mustang. He could smell the scent of Mahi Mahi and rice floating in the kitchen as he started taking his equipment off his uniform.

"Claire, that smells delicious!" Chris called, grinning as he walked into the kitchen. "Did you pick the fish up?"

"No, it was in the freezer. You mean you don't remember buying it?" Claire asked.

"Well…no, maybe. Sometimes I just throw stuff into the cart," Chris mumbled.

Claire giggled. "You really need a girlfriend."

"Oh hush, you know I was-" Chris trailed off upon noticing her bandaged ankle and hand. "Claire! What happened?"

"Oh this?" Claire asked, forcing a smile. "It's nothing, I was out walking and someone's dog got lose and bit me."

"A dog?" Chris rebounded, shocked. "What kind of dog? It didn't have rabies did it?"

"A ahh…Blue Heeler looking dog. I'm not sure. No, it had all its vaccinations. The owner took him in. We went to the hospital and he paid for everything," Claire explained, her heartbeat rising.

Chris seemed so annoyed at first but he surprisingly calmed down. "Did you get his name? Address? That dog could have done some major damage. What if there were kids instead?"

"It's alright," Claire stated. "Don't worry about it. He paid for everything at the hospital, and the hospital informed animal control about it, so I'm sure they are going to his house."

Chris shook his head. "Alright, fine. You really need to be more careful, Claire. I don't know what it is, but it seems like you've been getting into a lot of trouble lately."

_You have no idea…_

"I know. Let's just eat dinner and forget about it," Claire stated, smiling.

They sat down and ate the fish and sides. Chris talked about his day at work. Each time he mentioned Wesker, Claire would flinch like a deer. Claire made up her story of most of her day, and then the truth didn't come out until she was talking about what she did at home. They discussed Christmas, which was still a little less than two weeks away. Chris wanted to throw a party. He and Jill were thinking Barry's house, because the man owned the biggest house out of the STARS group.

After dinner, the siblings did the dishes together and cleaned up. When Chris went to take a shower, Claire sat down to watch T.V, pushing buttons on the remote to turn on the news, her mind scrambling thoughts of what happened at Wesker's to her plans to meet Ada Wong tomorrow.

Claire closed her eyes, knowing that meeting up with Ada would be very risky. If it did not go perfectly, she would be digging her own grave for sure…

* * *

William took in the smell of the main hall in the Spencer estate. The main hall had a few researchers talking to each other, discussing notes, but other than that, the grand room was empty. William ignored the older researchers and headed for the staircase. Within Umbrella, William was the youngest prodigy and one of the top researchers. He was well-known and highly looked up to, but as eccentric and unusual as he was, other researchers were hesitant to approach him.

As he started jogging up the first flight of stairs, one of the researchers called out to him. William recognized the voice, and glanced down the stairwell at him.

"Oh, hey Grant," Will greeted.

"What are you doing here? You aren't stationed here today," Grand asked.

"I…forgot something," William answered slowly.

"From a week ago?" Another researcher snorted, whose name Will could not recall.

William waved them off. "Honestly, you guys are so nosy!"

He continued up the stairs, taking the eastern wing to the rooms to find Ada. He knew what room was hers, and just hoped she was there so he could talk to her and get the hell out.

He was whistling walking down the hall, a habit he picked up when he was nervous. He checked his wristwatch, knowing Ada had to be in her room by now. It was getting late. As he rounded the corner, he slammed right into another man.

"Hey! Watch where….ohhhhhh dear…"

"Will? What are you doing here?" Wesker asked.

"Me? What are you doing here?" William looked at his watch again. "It's way past your bedtime!"

Wesker raised an eyebrow, a folder under his arms. He was not in his STARS uniform, nor was he in his lab coat. He wore nice, casual clothes that William hardly ever saw him wore because of their constant work.

"You look nice by the way."

"Thanks," Wesker answered. "I had a meeting with Spencer…remember?"

"Oh yeah…that must have slipped my mind."

"Kind of how you forgot to pick up Sherry this afternoon?" Wesker replied, a sly smile forming on his handsome face.

"Oh shit, Annette's gonna be pissed," William answered, slapping his forehead.

"That's why you owe me," Wesker stated simply. "I picked her up for you. I won't tell Annette if you won't."

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver, Al!"

"Now, you failed to tell me why you are here," Wesker stated, cocking his head slightly.

"Uhh, it's a surprise."

"Really?"

"Yep…for your…birthday."

"My birthday is four months away, Will."

"Well, you know that will be here before you know it!" William laughed nervously, slapping Albert on the shoulder and passing him.

Wesker watched him go, glaring at his partner's back. "William…"

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Albert, and goodbye to you!"

William hurried down the hallway, turning the next corner and finding Ada's room. He knocked on the door hard, looking back the way he came, wondering if Wesker brushed him off and left. Wesker was used to William's odd behavior, so he was sure his partner would shrug his shoulders and leave.

The door opened a crack, and he was being stared down by beautiful brown eyes. "William? What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

Ada opened the door to her room, revealing her beautiful self. Her hair was still wet from a recent shower, and she wore a red silk tank top and black silk pants. William shut the door behind him, swallowing hard.

The room was clean and neat, but William knew better. Ada really only used this room for sleeping in. She was a secret agent to Spencer, a trained assassin. Her work took her all over the world and gone from here for hours to weeks.

"Okay, what is it?" Ada inquired.

Straight and to the point, that's Ada alright. William twitched a smile. He opened the door again; looking up and down the hallway to make sure Wesker was truly gone. He shut the door and locked it, walking over to where Ada sat on her bed.

"You are nervous. No surprise there. What, did you pull a prank on Albert or what?" Ada asked, smirking a beautiful smile.

"There's this girl…a teenager. She was walking in the woods where Albert and I were trying to get rid of Finley and-"

"That old geezer that I hated so much?" Ada interrupted, eyes lighting up. "Wow, remind me to kiss Albert the next time I see him."

William grumbled something low. "Focus Ada!"

"Sorry. I hated that bastard. Continue."

"She came upon us and was caught. Albert has her scared for her life. I usually don't get involved in Al's games, but…she really doesn't deserve this."

"And you're too chicken-shit to stand up to him yourself, so it's up to Ada. I get it."

William glared at her. "Ada, I'm serious!"

Ada sighed, standing up from the edge of her bed. "Alright. What's her name? Where am I meeting her?"

"You mean…you mean you will do it?"

"I didn't say that," Ada stated. "I don't want to cross Albert as much as you don't. He and I are vital to each other for our plans. I don't want to screw that up. But…I've been in her position and if she truly doesn't deserve to be tangled in Albert's web, then I could probably give her some pointers."

"Right, I understand. Her name is Claire Redfield. She's the sister of one of Albert's STARS members Chris Redfield. He is threatening her and her brother. Meet her at noon in the park by the statue of Mary in the central courtyard."

Ada thought it over. She then grabbed William by the base of his throat, pinching a pressure point and making him yelp and collapse slightly. "You better not speak a word of this to Albert."

"Owwie! I was hoping you would promise the same!"

She let him go, where William flopped onto the bed. Ada watched William collect himself and stand up. He rubbed at his neck. Ada gave a casual smile. "It was good seeing you again, Will."

"Jeez, you're mean. Was that necessary?"

Ada stroked William's cheek sweetly. "Just making sure you get my point. If I agree to help this girl, this could put me in a very bad position with Albert. I don't want that. Do you?"

"N-no."

"Good. Now, don't you have a wife and daughter to get home to?" Ada asked, smiling as William started melting to her touch.

"Oh…yeah. Goodnight, Ada."

"Goodnight, Will."

William left Ada's room, shaking his giddy feelings and walking down the hallway again. He hurried for the main entrance, glad to see that Wesker was nowhere to be found. He didn't know for sure if Ada was going to help Claire, but he did all that he could. Claire had definitely stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time. Normally, William wouldn't disagree on Albert's plans to dispose of anyone that came across their secrets and research. However, Claire was different. He didn't understand Albert's plans for her. Normally, he would kill witnesses on the spot. But apparently, there was something about Claire that Albert was drawn to. If that was the case, then William knew that Claire would never escape his grasp.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I had writer's block for awhile! I think I am starting to get over it lol! Okay, so it looks like Ada is going to be meeting Claire at the park tomorrow! Will Ada agree to help her? Or will they be found out? Will William take a chill pill and stop acting like a loveable goof and start acting like a mad scientist? Will I stop asking stupid questions? Lol, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, even if it was a bit short. I am thinking that next chapter should be longer, but not sure! Thanks for being patient everyone! Free cookies to anyone who reads and then reviews! :) And I don't mean real, delicious warm cookies, I mean computer cookies...seriously I have plenty of them!**


	8. Chapter 8: Rendezvous

**Chapter 8: Rendezvous**

The morning was icy cold and bitter. Chris was at work before the sun even broke the horizon. Even at such early hours, the precinct was busy, though not near as scrambled and loud. Not as many phones were constantly going off at this hour, and so Chris's walk to the large break room for coffee was quiet. He was still half-asleep, only because he did not get as much rest last night as he would have liked. As he was pouring some fresh black coffee into his mug, with steam curling out of the rim and the aroma hitting his nostrils, a uniformed officer approached Chris.

"Hey Chris, good morning."

Chris recognized the voice and the older cop himself. It was Ralph Hendricks. He lived at the end of the same block that Chris did. The older man was fit for his age. Chris would see him jogging along the sidewalk down through the blocks many times. He had been on the force for a little over fifteen years. If Chris remembered right, he was in his mid forties.

"Good morning, Ralph! Haven't seen ya in awhile!" Chris greeted with a smile. He mixed very little sugar and creamer into his coffee.

Ralph started to get his own cup. "Yeah, just got back from vacation the other day." He chuckled afterwards. His brown eyes lighting up as he poured himself a cup of coffee too.

"Really? Well, you don't know how much I would like to take vacation right now and head south for the winter," Chris joked.

"It's like the winters keep getting worse and worse," Ralph chuckled. "But that's Colorado for ya."

"I know. I think I've seen enough snow for a lifetime."

"Say Chris, I wanted to ask ya something."

Ralph's tone caught Chris's attention as he took a sip of his hot coffee. "What's up?"

"Does Claire have a boyfriend?"

Chris chuckled, lowering his mug onto the nearby table to let his hands be free for the moment as he talked to the older man. "No. Well, not that I know of."

"I was out jogging yesterday and I saw a man in a silver BMW drop her off. I've never seen him before, but he looked much older. I swear they looked like they kissed or hugged before she got out of the car."

Chris felt something squirm in his gut. Had Claire lied to him about yesterday? She had been getting into a lot of trouble lately. And now Ralph's words were starting to get his mind into suspicious mode. Was Claire trying to hide something from him?

Ralph must have noticed the concern and the agitation on Chris's face. "I don't want to start any trouble, but I just found it odd. It was a very nice, brand new car. Whoever the guy is, he makes a lot of money."

"You didn't happen to get his license plate number, did you?" Chris asked.

"I did. But if I give it to you, you have to promise me you won't cause trouble. I know you are protective of Claire, but she is nineteen. This could all be innocent. Hell, I could have seen wrong yesterday morning. So don't go making a fool out of yourself, son."

"I won't. You're right, it is probably innocent. But as a big brother, there is no harm in checking this guy's background."

Ralph chuckled at this. "Alright. It was 669-LNU."

"Thanks, Ralph," Chris stated, nodding at the older cop. "I'll see you later."

Chris grabbed his coffee and left, heading upstairs for the STARS office in deep thought. He just did not understand who the man in the BMW could be. Why would Claire lie to him? As much trouble as Claire had been getting into lately, Chris knew something was going on. And he was going to get to the bottom of it.

He slipped into the STARS office, walking to his desk quietly. He said good morning to Barry who looked wide awake and ready to take on the day. Wesker was at his Captain's desk, talking on the phone while flipping through some paperwork. Chris waved to Brad, who was going organizing some case files. Jill had to have been getting her coffee and breakfast because Chris rode with her to work. That only left Joseph missing, but he was normally late anyways.

Chris turned on his computer and got to work. It didn't take long for Jill to answer and walk to her desk behind Chris's and take a seat. She sat her coffee down along with a half-eaten pear.

"A pear for breakfast?" Chris chuckled.

"Yeah…why?" Jill asked, slightly smiling.

"Don't you want something that will actually fill you up?"

"Like what?" Jill retorted jokingly.

"Good stuff. You know, like bacon, eggs, toast, whatever."

"Yeah, how about you ask Wesker if you can go to the break room and whip us all up a nice breakfast like that?" Jill chuckled. She took a small bite out of her pear and glared at him playfully.

"Oh, make me one of your fancy omelets, Chris," Barry stated, not looking up from his paperwork.

Barry and Jill both laughed. Chris glared at his old friend. "Haha, very funny, Barry. Enjoy your pear, Jill. I'm going to enjoy one of my fancy protein bars."

Jill still had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "That kind that tastes like cardboard? Yep, I will indeed enjoy my pear then."

She turned around to get to work. Chris logged onto his computer and started to get his paperwork in order. By this time, Wesker and hung up on the phone, but didn't bother to greet his teammates. Joseph entered into the STARS office with a big grin on his face. He greeted everyone and sat down at his desk, on time for once. Chris looked around. Apparently, no one from Bravo was working the day shift today.

Chris took his free time before work to log into the system and look up the license plate number. He entered it in to get his results. The man's profile popped up under the license plate number of the silver BMW. Chris read the profile very carefully. It was a man named William Birkin. Age 35. Married. Type AB blood. Height was 5'10". Weight was 180lbs. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes. He was a certified genius and had several degrees in many fields, some in which Chris didn't even know. There was biochemistry, bioengineering, pathology, immunology, virology, microbiology, genetics; the list went on and on. He was employed under the Umbrella Corporation as a researcher in Research and Development.

The man didn't look threatening, but something didn't add up. Chris did not like the feeling he got looking over this man's profile and background. The fact that he was married and could have been romantically involved with Claire was one thing, but Chris was getting a darker feeling about all of this. He quickly jotted down the man's address and got out of the system. Chris tried to focus on his work, but now all he could think of was getting to the bottom of who exactly this man was. He knew he had to get to the bottom of this…

* * *

Claire parked the truck outside of the Raccoon Park and got out. She was anxious and unsure, shaking more so from worry over the icy cold morning. She was bundled up in her cute coat and scarf as she made her way into the snow filled park. At least the sun was out today after days of being eclipsed by thick clouds. But even with the bright sun out it did nothing for the cold or the snow.

Claire could see Raccoon General Hospital just across the street. The park itself wasn't that busy. There were a few couples walking about, people walking their dogs, and some kids were playing on the playground. Claire headed for the central courtyard for the statue of Virgin Mary. She glanced at her wristwatch, seeing that it was only five minutes until noon. She looked up to the large clock on the Saint Michael Clock Tower just down the street, and it read the same thing. Raccoon Park was the biggest park in the city, located in northeast. The park bordered Circular River, which pretty much blocked off the eastern edge of suburbs and forest around.

She remembered how beautiful the park would be in spring and summer, with the trees full of leaves, and the flowers and grass full of vitality. Even now, the trees were bare, not even a brown, yellow, or orange leaf dangling on a twig. The winter gave a certain beauty to the park, but it also seemed to add an air of emptiness and solace. She could hear the caws of perched crows much easier than that of talking people or laughing children.

As Claire made her way into the courtyard, she found that many of the large black birds were watching her. Their raucous cries making her shiver more than the cold wind. She came upon the lonely statue of the Virgin Mary in the fountain. The water was off, the leftover water in the fountain frozen and dappled with snow and ice. Mary was staring down at Claire, a hood over her head and melting ice sliding down her face to make it look as though she was crying.

Claire jumped as Saint Michael Clock Tower hit noon. The twelve loud, hollow dongs that followed echoed across the park, but did not frighten the crows or the very little visitors to the park. As the final chime died away, Claire looked around, and then stepped closer to the fountain. She felt so isolated and alone. It wasn't even a week ago that she was here with Jill and Chris ice-skating on the other side of the park, oblivious to the evils of Albert Wesker. If only she hadn't gone to the mountain trails that day. She wouldn't be in this mess. She found herself asking God silently why this was happening to her. Saint Mary stared down at her with melting snow tears, hands clasped up by her chest and long robes dropping and draping as stone atop the fountain.

"And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever."

Claire had turned at the sudden voice that had started speaking those familiar verses. A woman had approached her wearing a beautiful maroon blouse and a black coat lined with dark fur. She had a matching scarf wrapped around her necks and black, sleek gloves covered her delicate fingers. The woman had dark hair that shimmered like a raven's feathers, her eyes were a dark brown, and could not be read at all. Her skin seemed so perfect, ivory and silky. She wore tight black pants, along with expensive mink-furred snow boots. She was either Eurasian or Asian-American. Her red lips twitched into a smile as she approached after she spoke the verses from the Bible. This had to be Ada Wong.

Claire kept her ground as the woman walked over to the fountain to her. She looked up the statue of Mary before turning to Claire once more. "Are you Ada?"

The woman nodded. "I am."

Ada looked her over, and her tiny smile soon fell away. "You must be Claire Redfield."

Claire didn't like how her face had fell and the tone that held her words. "Y-yes. I hope you are here to help me. Wesker is going to-"

"Shh, we can't talk here," Ada interrupted. "Follow me."

Claire was nervous but barely nodded her head and started following her. They walked along the park, taking in the sights but not talking. Claire realized that Ada was heading to the large bridge that went over Circular River. On the other side the closest location was the Circular River Cemetery. The only cemetery in the north of the city. There was no traffic across the bridge, but the sound of the river flowing beneath was soothing. Sure enough Ada headed into the cemetery, and Claire had no choice but to follow.

The headstones were draped with snow. There were even more crows here, perched in the bare trees with twisted, jagged limbs. The walkways throughout the cemetery had been recently salted, so were easy to walk. There was no one in the cemetery other than them it seemed.

"You are nothing of what I was expecting," Ada sighed.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

The two women slowed to a stop in front of a large, fancy granite headstone taller than them and shaped like a cross. Ada seemed to take a moment to think before answering Claire.

"You're young…innocent…naïve."

Claire glared at Ada. Ada couldn't have been much older; she could tell the woman was still in her twenties. "Excuse me?"

"Don't take it the wrong way," Ada chuckled. "What I meant by it is when Albert gets control over someone like you, they are usually men who have done the darkest of crimes, know the darkest of secrets, and have tried to ruin something of his, either his plans or revenge, it doesn't really matter. He turns these victims into empty shells, sniveling cowards before he kills them off. But you…you've done nothing wrong."

"And I'm supposed to be flattered?" Claire grumbled.

"Do you want my help or not?" Ada asked, her eyes sharpening. "Look, Albert and I are close allies. I'm putting my life in danger just to come out here and talk to you. But I've been through what you have, but I did what anyone else could not."

"You beat him at his own game," Claire answered for her.

Ada dipped her head, twitching a smile. "I did. And for that, he respects me for, and we work for each other. But my line of work is something of a darker shadow than you should know. The question is why Albert is doing this to you. Anyone else he would have killed on sight. You have nothing to do with the dark conspiracies that I can't begin to talk about. You have nothing to do with anything, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So you can get me out of this situation? Alive? Me and my brother?"

"I didn't say that," Ada stated. "I'll do what I can, but you have to do as I say. The likelihood on why you are still alive is that Albert has plans for you. We need to figure out what they are and go from there."

Claire didn't like the sound of that. "So, what should I do?"

"Just do as he says. Don't get into trouble with him anymore. You can try and ask him what he plans to do with you, but I doubt he will give you much of an answer. Let's meet back here right at this location in two days. I will see what I can do for you. I might be able to get some answers out of William or Annette. I'll try and talk to Albert, but it will be hard to keep a low profile. He catches on quick, it's nearly impossible to lie to him or trick him…remember that."

Claire felt as though she was leaving empty handed. "Meet here at the same time, same place? What if something happens?"

"If we are unable to meet here then I will go to you," Ada answered simply.

Claire opened her mouth to tell Ada her address, but the older woman quickly cut her off.

"I know where you live. It's common in my line of work. Now, I am going to leave. Make sure you wait five minutes before you leave behind me, just in case we are being watched."

Claire barely nodded, wanting to say more but at a loss for words.

Ada started walking back towards the park. She glanced over her shoulder to Claire as she was leaving. "Good luck, Claire."

Claire just about collapsed. She felt as though the meeting did her no good. She turned towards the large cross-shaped headstone. She did what she was told and waited before leaving.

* * *

Chris did not feel guilty tracking William Birkin to his house. He saw the silver BMW pull into the nice suburban home next to a white Lexus. Chris had borrowed one of the STARS Dodge Durango's to drive around since Claire had his truck. Chris waited a few minutes before he pulled up to the curb next to the nice house and got out.

He walked onto the sidewalk, stepping up onto the porch and going straight to the front door. He knocked on the red door, even though he noticed a doorbell. The door was opened just a minute later, but there was no one there.

"May I help you sir?"

Chris looked down, noticing the young blonde haired girl in school uniform. She looked meek and shy, and half-way hit behind the door. Chris felt his jaw grind against his teeth. This man was married and had kids and was messing around with Claire.

Chris smiled gently at the little girl. "Yes, sweetie, is your daddy home?"

"Hold on."

The little girl shut the door, and Chris could barely hear her footsteps bound away on the other side. A moment later, the door opened up and Chris came face to face with William Birkin. William peered at him curiously, and seemed surprised to notice the STARS outfit.

"Uhhh, yes, can I help you, officer?"

"I'm Chris Redfield. I was told you were seen with my sister Claire dropping her off at my house and that you guys seemed…close."

There was no hiding the shock on William's face, and it was then that Chris knew he had him. "Oh boy…uhh, well, I did drop your sister off, but that is because she needed a ride home. I don't know her other than that."

"Why would a complete stranger take my sister home?" Chris growled.

"I'm friends with the guy who owns the dog who bit her. I took her home from the hospital," William quickly answered.

"Something isn't adding up here. What are you hiding?" Chris accused.

"Look, you must be jumping to conclusions. I would never-"

"What were you doing with my sister?"

The front door opened again and a woman walked out. She had to have been William's wife and the mother of their daughter that answered the door. The little girl had peeked her head out after her mother came onto the porch.

"Sherry, get into the house," the woman said.

"Yes, Mom."

The front door shut, and the woman glared at Chris. "Look, Mr. Redfield, other than purposely tracking my husband to our house without a warrant only for your selfish reasons of accusing William for something he didn't do, you have no legal right to be here. I suggest you leave right now before I call the police and make you have to answer why you are using your powers as an officer outside the rights of the law."

Chris grew quiet. William was fiddling with his fingers, looking nervous. "Come now Annette honey. There's no need to use that kind of tone."

Annette whirled on William. "You want him to leave don't you? Stick up for yourself sometimes, Will!" She then turned back to Chris, who had already started to back up. "I understand you are being protective of your sister, but you are coming about this the wrong way. My husband didn't do anything. So I suggest you leave right now."

Chris slowly nodded, suddenly realizing how stupid he had been acting. The woman was right. He had no evidence against William besides Ralph's word, and that was still using his powers as an officer outside the law.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll leave."

Chris turned and trotted down the steps, heading right back to the Durango and pulling out of there. William and Annette watched him leave their block until they disappeared from sight.

Chris had to rethink on this. He came about this the wrong way, but that didn't mean that William was innocent. There was something about the Birkins that came off as fishy and untrustworthy. It may have been his protectiveness over Claire, but now he could sense something darker within it. He wanted to be right, but he hoped to God he was all wrong.

* * *

William just about collapsed in relief after they watched Chris Redfield get into the Dodge Durango and leave. They watched the SUV all the way until it disappeared down the curb. He turned to Annette who was now glaring at him.

"What the hell happened between you and Claire?"

"Nothing! Albert made me drive her home! And I did!"

Annette heaved a sigh. "You see what I mean? You never stick up for yourself, Will. You wouldn't be in this mess if you had just said no and let Albert take her home."

"Well, it's too late now. The damage is done," William sighed.

"This isn't over yet. You know he'll be back. He's already suspicious of you, soon he'll be on to us. You better hope that Albert doesn't find out about this."

William bit his lip, looking to his wife. "He can't know about this. He'll kill Claire and Chris!"

"Yeah, any ideas on how to throw Chris off?" Annette retorted, crossing her arms.

"No…"

"Then they are as good as dead. Don't let them get in the way of what we have been working for years for."

"I'm surprised in you Annette."

"I know it sounds cruel, but our work and our family come first. It's Albert's job to prevent anyone from finding out anything…even if that means someone as nice and innocent as Claire and her brother."

William glared at his wife. "You mean you are going to tell him?"

"If I see Chris come snooping again I will call Albert right away," Annette answered smoothly. "Don't think I won't."

"I'll take care of Chris. Don't let Albert find out. I gave Claire my promise."

Annette closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "We need Albert's protection. Do not turn him against us. Don't go against him."

"I'm not…I'm just…keeping my promise," William mumbled.

The genius researcher turned and went back into the house, leaving his wife to think over their words and worry.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Oh man, I have been trying so hard to get back on track with my fanfiction! Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and it was worth the wait! So what do you think is going to happen next? Did you expect Chris to start snooping around for trouble so fast lol? Will Wesker find out? Will he find out about Claire and Ada? Oh the suspense is rising! Thanks for reading and reviewing peeps! :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Know When to Lie

**Chapter 9: Know When to Lie**

The laboratory was quiet except for the faint humming of the computers, incubators, and various other machinery lined up for various research. The most distinct sound, however, was that of William's pencil as he tapped it repeatedly against the counter as he looked over his notes. As his mind raced calculations and solutions, his back thoughts were of worry and uncertainty. Not of his results or tests he had been working on, but of yesterday's encounter with Chris Redfield knocking on his front door.

William knew he had to find a way to quickly drop Chris from the equation of this deadly game of cat and mouse. Annette had warned him that she would inform Albert if Chris continued to dig deeper, whether she wanted to save Claire or not. William understood her feelings. They had been working on this research for almost twenty years since William was barely sixteen. They couldn't risk any of this getting out. William had spent years working alongside Albert climbing the ladder from when they were teens up until where they were now, the most important research of his life. William had been striving to perfect the G strand for almost ten years, ever since he and Albert assassinated their mentor James Marcus.

He knew the risks of helping Claire. But William gave her his promise. It wasn't much in his line of work, but for some unknown reason, William felt compelled to do it. She didn't deserve this. Nor did her brother. They didn't have to get mixed up in any of this. Whatever Albert had planned for Claire, William knew with a heavy heart the dark road would only end in death eventually. Sooner than that if Albert found out that Chris was starting to get suspicious. Albert would kill the Redfield siblings mercilessly and without a trace, another cover-up just like thousands of others he did for his dirty work within Umbrella.

William changed his posture, putting more weight on his left foot as he leaned on the counter and started writing some notes on his work. If only he could figure out what Albert wanted Claire for. This game of cat and mouse he played with her, this chess game of blackmail and manipulation, would only make sense only if Claire was someone much more important, like one of Spencer's agents or another researcher that Albert could work valuable knowledge and secrets out of before ending their lives. No, Claire was just a civilian. She was just a college student in town for the holidays visiting her brother. There was nothing special about her that Albert could use to gain something in their benefit.

_And that's what bothers me the most…_

None of that would matter in the long run if William didn't figure out a way to keep Chris from digging his own grave. William had to think of something to stop the older Redfield sibling from signing his and Claire's death sentence.

"That's a pretty intense stare. You must be thinking really hard."

The voice made him jump. He smiled upon seeing Ada entering the laboratory and sliding out of her jacket and scarves. She hung them up on the nearby coat rack by the doorway before walking over to William wearing a violet blouse, black leggings, and her fur-lined boots. She had diamond earrings on, along with a distinct bracelet on her left wrist, but William hardly noticed these as he smiled at her.

"Not that I don't enjoy seeing you, Ada, but what are you doing here?"

Ada looked around the laboratory, even glancing out of the doorway at the back of the laboratory and listening for a moment to make sure they were alone. When she was sure they were, she walked right over to him and leaned on the counter as William straightened his posture and slightly stepped away.

"I met Claire at Raccoon Park yesterday," Ada whispered.

This immediately caught William's interest. "How did it go? Are you going to help her?"

"It went well despite the circumstances," Ada answered. "I'll do my best to try and help her but the first thing I need to find out is her purpose to Albert."

William sighed, leaning his arms on the counter and hanging his head for a moment. "I was just wondering that myself."

"If you want to help Claire out as well then we are going to have to figure it out," Ada stated, watching the doorway.

"I know," William replied, straightening back up but then looking down at Ada with a scowl. "But we have a problem already."

"What is it?"

"The other day I dropped Claire off at her house after Albert told me to. Someone saw us together and told Chris. He came to my house yesterday and started demanding answers about Claire. Annette was able to tell him off, but we know he'll be back. And she's going to tell Albert if he does."

Ada showed minor surprise about Chris's front door assault, but remained passive upon hearing that Annette was threatening to tell Albert. "If she does that, then they are dead. Albert will kill them both."

"Exactly. That's why I need to figure out how to keep Chris from digging any deeper."

"Does Claire know about this?"

"I imagine not," William snorted. "I understand that he is just trying to protect his sister but he doesn't realize what he is stirring up."

"I wish I would have been informed about this sooner. Claire needs to be aware of this," Ada stated, looking to the door.

William realized he was tapping his pencil nervously on the counter again, and so dropped it onto his notepad. "Yes, she does. But how are we-"

"Shh," Ada hissed quietly.

William was shocked to see Albert enter the laboratory. He was supposed to be at the precinct at this hour. This made William's heart rate rise as he side glanced over to Ada. She remained calm, beautiful face expressionless as Albert walked over to them.

He wore his STARS Captain uniform, and they could hear his walky-talky's static when someone came on frequency on the other side. He also had his sidearm, the Samurai Edge handgun that would have no problem taking out Chris Redfield or anyone else that stood in his way.

William did his best to sound innocent. "Hey Al…Surprised to see you here this early. Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Wesker studied Ada curiously for a moment, eyes unreadable behind his dark sunglasses. "Business."

William chuckled nervously. "Of course you are!"

"Why are you here, Ada?" Wesker asked, tone bordering suspicion.

"Business," Ada mocked.

A faint chuckle escaped Albert's lips, echoing softly in the laboratory. William gulped, forcing himself to stare down at his notes and pretend to be working. He hoped his friend and partner wasn't up to them and their plans.

Wesker walked right over to Ada, his interest peaked. "Are you here to assassinate William?"

"No."

"Are you here to assassinate me?"

"No."

Wesker's lips twitched slightly into a devious smile. "Then you are not here on business, are you?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Oh? Do enlighten me, Miss Wong."

"I have to go pee!" William exclaimed, quickly moving for the exit. As he was heading for the door, he talked in a high, fast voice, as if he was in a hurry and worried. "Do you guys want coffee? Great, I'll get coffee too! Everybody needs coffee!"

Wesker raised an eyebrow, but soon his eyes went back to Ada. The female agent knew then that this was her chance to start engaging in in the danger of Albert's intentions. She was going to have to make a game out of this. Otherwise, Wesker wouldn't take the bait.

"So, I hear from Sergei that he thinks you didn't kill this girl named Claire Redfield when he ordered you to. And he has hired me to figure out if it's true or not. Luckily, I'm on your side. So, tell me the truth Albert. What's going on?" Ada felt as though she made that sound convincing enough. As much as Wesker and Sergei hated each other, she knew they wouldn't be talking about this to each other.

This seemed to really catch Wesker's attention, but he remained cool, calm, and collected. "Is that right? What makes him assume that I haven't disposed of her already?"

Ada cocked her head slightly, keeping composed. "Do you really think he would enlighten me that much?"

Wesker chuckled. "A valid point. But you already knew Miss Redfield wasn't dead, did you Ada?"

Her heart skipped a beat but Ada remained passive, blinking slowly and lips twitching. The possibility that Albert knew of her meeting with Claire in the park was very slim. She couldn't expose herself. After all, every time she engaged in conversation with Wesker, she knew it was a test of wills, a game of calculation.

"Why do you say that? I actually had no clue, but your words just confirmed me that she is in fact still alive."

"What are you going to say to Sergei?"

Ada gave a sly smile. "Depends. What purpose does Claire have to you? She's just a nobody, a college student. It isn't possible that she could benefit you in some way."

"Who said I was using her?" Albert inquired, humored.

"You use everybody to your own advantage. Even your best friend."

Wesker smirked wolfishly. "In that case, I see many ways that Miss Redfield could benefit me."

"What are they?"

"Why should I enlighten you?"

"Just to satiate my curiosity. Don't you want my help in getting Sergei off your back?" Ada asked.

"Let him come. I've been dying to get rid of Sergei for years now. Our conflict is not of strength but of intelligence. I assure you, he won't win the war. And Miss Redfield could act as leverage in making it happen as well."

"How so?"

"My, my, Miss Wong, you sure are a curious one today. Should I be under the impression that this is actually an interrogation?"

That was all the information she was going to get at the moment, it seemed. It was very likely that Wesker had a few plans for Claire, but Ada would have to work on figuring them out. She didn't want to get Albert suspicious of her.

"Right. I get it. I'll get Sergei off your back. For now," Ada answered coolly, looking up to see William enter back into the laboratory with a tray holding three cups of steamy coffee.

"Did I miss the intense conversation that I aimed to avoid?" Will asked, smiling sheepishly.

Ada laughed softly. "Yes, William. You did. Good job."

"I am relieved to hear that!"

He handed her a mug of coffee, then his partner, before he grabbed his mug and sat the tray down. Ada knew that it was time to take her leave. Albert had walked over, presumably to start looking over notes while William got back to work. She said farewell to the two men, and left the laboratory as silently as a panther. She was sure Albert would be questioning William of their conversation after learning the reason why Ada had come in the first place. Wesker would want to know what William would have said to her before his arrival. Ada just hoped that William wouldn't screw it up, or they would all be in danger.

* * *

Ada made her way up to the porch of the Redfield home. The snow crunched under her boots in the front yard as she came off the sidewalk and driveway. The porch had been recently salted to melt the ice. She kept bundled in her jacket and scarves, and hoped that Claire was still here. She knew that Chris was still at work. It would be the only time that the agent could warn the Redfield sister about Chris's actions against William.

She acted casual, like she would be a friend to Claire, in case any neighbors were watching. She rang the doorbell and waited, her breaths coming out in puffs from the winter cold.

Ada saw the front door open, and Claire was surprised to see her. "Ada?"

"I know it's so soon after we met, but we need to talk."

Claire barely nodded her head, obviously confused and now worried. She let Ada into the house, and shut the door behind them. Ada didn't bother sitting down, the two women went over into the kitchen where they leaned on the counters opposite of each other.

"Did something happen?" Claire asked, eyes flashing a hint of worry.

"Yes. I went to talk to William, and he informed me that your brother went to his house asking how you two knew each other. Apparently, a neighbor saw him drop you off and told Chris. Your brother is worried that you may be having an affair with William and he is married, much older, and has a child. Annette was able to get him to leave, but they know that he is going to keep digging. If Albert finds out about this, then you both are dead."

"Oh no! We need to find a way to get him to stop! I was afraid this was going to happen!"

Ada stayed calm while Claire was obviously distressed. "Yes, we do. And fast."

Claire thought for a moment, chewing on her lip. "I'll talk to him when he gets home tonight. I bet I can get him to stop messing around."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, positive."

Ada barely nodded. "Then I'll take my leave. Good luck, Claire. If I find anything out on what Albert is planning, I will speak to you again."

Claire dipped her head. The younger woman showed the agent to the front door. Ada left as quickly as she had come over. As Ada was walked down the steps of the porch, Claire closed the door. Ada headed along the sidewalk, back the way she came through the neighborhood where she had parked her car.

She heard a car coming up from behind, a powerful V8 engine rumbling under the hood. The sound of water sloshing from off the tires as the car got closer coming up her wouldn't have caught Ada's interest much, until she heard that the vehicle was slowing down to match her walking speed.

Furrowing her brows, Ada looked to her right in the road. Her heart shot to her throat as she recognized the black Jaguar XK8. Her feet immediately halted under her as she turned to the car. It rolled to a stop, the tinted window sliding down.

"Well, well, Miss Wong. Fancy seeing you in this neighborhood."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! And for the wait lol. I've been running into a few stumps with this story, but I assure you I am working them out! :) Uh-oh, looks like Ada might have got herself into some trouble! :O Thanks for reading and reviewing peeps!**


	10. Chapter 10: Accused of an Affair

**Chapter 10: Accused of an Affair**

"Get in."

Ada didn't flinch at his tone. She glanced back at Claire's home, before quietly walking around the idling Jaguar to get in on the passenger side. Wesker kept the car parked alongside the curb, and he faced her as she slid into the passenger seat.

Either William cracked or Wesker had decided to follow her on his own accord. It didn't matter. Ada was remaining passive while Wesker looked her over.

"That was quite a conversation you had with Miss Redfield, Ada. Do enlighten me on why you are here exactly when I was sure our conversation back at the lab had been closure on this ordeal."

Ada kept cool, smiling at Wesker. "Relax. I was only trying to gather more information on the girl. She had no idea who I was. I think we both know that I am good at what I do."

She gave a seductive smile, one that seemed to catch Albert's attention and make him twitch his own smirk.

"I would hope so. I wouldn't want to have to kill you, Ada. We help each other in so many ways. It would be a shame."

Ada softly chuckled, leaning forth gracefully and kissing Albert just below the jaw. With a wink and another smile, she opened the car door and slipped out. She looked down at him.

"See ya around, Albert."

She shut the car door, resuming her walk on the sidewalk down the neighborhood where she parked her own car. Wesker watched her for a moment inside the idling Jaguar, and then slid the vehicle into reverse to back it up and park on the curb next to Chris's house. He shut the engine off and got out, walking casually up to the front door where he proceeded to knock.

At first there was no answer, but Wesker knew Claire was home. "Dear heart, it wouldn't be wise to ignore me. I know you are in there. Open the door."

After a moment, the door opened, and Claire was standing nervously in the doorway. She reluctantly let him into the house, and closed the door behind him. She was obviously tense as Wesker took a moment to look over the living room and kitchen.

"What do you want?" Claire asked.

"I'm just checking up on you. No harm in that, is there?" Wesker replied, smiling slyly as he took a step towards her. Claire responded with a step back towards the kitchen. "You know, it is never a good idea to let a stranger into your house."

"You didn't exactly give me a choice," Claire said, glaring at him.

Wesker chuckled. "I meant the woman who was also here."

"What about her?"

"She is a close associate of mine. Ada can play her games and I will play mine. However, you my dear heart I expect to keep your devotion to me if you want to live through this little game of cat and mouse. Do I make myself clear?"

By now he had her cornered against the island in the kitchen, her lower back pressing into the counter top as his body was just inches from hers. Claire barely nodded at Wesker, feeling very much like the trapped mouse at the moment.

The crafty cat smiled at her response, raising his hand up to stroke her cheek softly. "Good girl."

* * *

William checked again to make sure he hadn't forgot anything before locking his car up and walking down the street. He had planned on taking the shortcut down into the underground labs by way of the Umbrella Pharmacy on Main Street. He jingled his keys as he whistled, carrying his clipboard under his armpit and his briefcase in the same arm. He had had a longer lunch than intended, and he felt it was time to get back to work. The cold winter wind nipped at his skin, and he shivered. He couldn't wait to get inside and down into the warm labs. Just as he was wondering about what happened earlier down in the labs with Albert, Ada, and himself, he felt a strong grasp snatch his shirt. With a yelp, William was jerked into the nearby alleyway.

At first he thought it was Albert or Ada who had grabbed him, but quickly realized it was the trouble seeking brother of Claire Redfield.

"You again?! Let me go!"

"Not until you give me some answers!" Chris demanded.

"I'm happily married jackass! I am not having an affair with your sister!" William growled. "Nothing happened; I just gave her a ride to the house. You're welcome by the way!"

"You said you knew about the dog bite. It doesn't add up. What's the truth behind that?" Chris inquired.

William gave him a crazy look. "What doesn't add up about a dog bite?! Seriously, you have issues! If you are worried about your sister having an affair or being in danger you need to look elsewhere! And so what if she is seeing a man! She's a grown ass woman!"

Chris slowly let William go, all his reasoning coming back to him. He sighed heavily, disappointed. William huffed while straightening his shirt.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I was a little out of line."

"A little?" William grumbled. "Look, I understand you are worried about your sister, but everything is fine. Accidents happen. No one is out to get her. And if she is seeing a man then you are just going to have to accept that she is a grown woman now. I know how you feel. I have a little sister too."

Chris slowly nodded. "You are right. I'm sorry. I went way overboard with this. I should leave."

The Alpha STARS member turned and quickly left from the alleyway back onto the streets. William blinked, surprised that Chris left so easily. He hoped this got through the young man's head so he would stop digging his own grave. It seemed now that Chris was going to drop it. Now Albert didn't have to find out about this and Claire and Chris still had a chance of survival.

William frowned, resuming his walk to the pharmacy, knowing all too well that those chances were slim to nothing.

* * *

"Are you sure you are okay?" Jill asked.

She was driving her car for Chris's house. When Chris had come back from lunch, he was being bothered by something. Chris just claimed he wasn't feeling well, and decided to leave early for the day. Jill volunteered to give him a ride home since Claire still had his truck at home.

"I'm fine. Just a little down is all. Just remember to tell Wesker I went home sick when he comes back to work."

"I will. Just make sure to give me a call later so I know you are okay. Or I can stop by after work."

Chris twitched a smile. "That sounds good."

His face soon fell. Chris had felt disappointed, ashamed, and bothered by his conversation with William Birkin near the Umbrella Pharmacy. He knew the researcher spoke the truth, but Chris couldn't help the dark feeling in his gut that something was amidst with Claire. Whether William had to do with it or not. He just hoped his brotherly instincts were just being too sensitive. He felt that Claire was hiding something from him, and that was not like her at all.

Jill was in his neighborhood now. As she was rounding the curb near his house, she slowed the Mustang down. They both automatically spotted the all too familiar black Jaguar by the curb.

"What is Wesker doing at your house?" Jill asked, surprised.

"I have no idea. Pull over. Quick!"

Jill did as he asked and pulled her car over to the side down the road. As the car idled with the heater going to keep them warm, they watched up ahead where his house and Wesker's car remained silent and unmoving.

Chris did not like the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. He literally felt sick now, like he was going to vomit, but the nausea just stayed with him, souring his face as he watched on, wondering what was going on.

"You think he is looking for you?" Jill asked. "Surely, he isn't here to see Claire."

"He would have paged me if he was." Chris even checked the small device to make sure he hadn't missed any messages, and there was none on there.

"Maybe we should go check it out. It has to be harmless. I mean, come on…it's Wesker," Jill stated lightly.

Just after those words they saw the front door open. Wesker was emerging onto the front porch with Claire behind him. They were talking but from where they were, neither Chris nor Jill could make it out.

Claire had stopped at the edge of the porch, holding herself tightly but they couldn't tell if it was the winter wind or not. Wesker had stepped down a few steps, making his height level closer to Claire's as he turned around. He seemed to be telling her something important, because Claire was slowly nodding her head. Chris and Jill then watched as Wesker leaned in close to Claire, whispering something into her ear. He pulled back just enough to place a kiss on her lower cheek before turning and leaving. Claire watched him go. As soon as that Jaguar started up and took off down the road, luckily the opposite direction of Chris and Jill, Claire quickly turned and went back inside the house.

Chris and Jill were in shock of what they just witnessed. Several minutes went by of silence. Jill slowly turned to Chris, who looked green. She didn't know what to say. She was in shock herself.

"I take it back. I guess it isn't harmless."

"My sister cannot be having a fucking affair with Wesker. Please tell me I'm having a nightmare."

Jill tried to be reasonable. "Now we don't know that for sure. Let's not jump to conclusions."

"What else did it look like?! Oh my God, I'm going to be sick. Oh God. Have you ever seen Wesker act that way around ANYONE?!"

Jill put the car into gear and drove the rest of the way up to Chris's house. "You want me to come in there with you? Talk to her?"

"No, no…I got it," Chris heaved. "Just…get back to work. Try and get Wesker to tell you where he has been…see what he says, if he lies…of course he will lie what the hell am I saying?!"

"Calm down, Chris. I'll stop by after work. Whatever you do, do not start demanding answers from Claire. Take it slow and easy."

Chris slowly nodded, trying to calm down and easing his breaths. He opened the passenger door and got out; taking a moment in case he needed to vomit. He then looked back into the car to his partner.

"I'll see you after work."

Jill nodded, and after Chris shut the door she was pulling off to go back to the precinct on her own. Chris still couldn't believe what he just saw as he slowly walked up the stairs to the front door. His mind just couldn't grab a hold of it. Suddenly, William Birkin didn't seem so important now. Then again, Chris had no idea if his conversation with William or this was connected.

* * *

Claire chewed on her lip. Her mind racing as she thought over her little surprise visit from Wesker. She had fled back into the house as he turned to leave, as if Chris's house was going to be her protective fortress. Things were getting out of hand. Wesker knew about Ada, and made damn sure Claire knew he was on to the women's schemes. There was no way getting ahead of him. He was stringing Claire along like a puppet, and she felt helpless in her situation more than she ever had before. Now Ada was in danger.

Part of Claire wanted to tell Chris and get the hell out of Dodge. But the other part was ready to start fighting back. She was getting cornered. Redfields never backed down. Claire was getting to the point where she was going to have nothing to lose. It was either beat Wesker at his own game or die trying.

The front door was opening. Claire jumped, thinking it was Wesker again, only to be more surprised that it was her brother. He stared her down, his skin as white as a ghost. For his sake, Claire quickly composed herself to pretend that nothing was wrong.

"Chris! You are home early! You okay?"

Thanks to Ada's warning, she knew Chris would be asking about William. Claire could come up with a story easily to dissuade him from digging deeper into this. If Wesker found out that Chris was snooping, it was all over.

"Let's jump to the chase, Claire. I saw you and Wesker."

Her heart leaped to her throat, and she swore she choked on it. Yeah, that was going to be a bit harder to come up with a story for that.

"Huh? W-what do you mean? When?"

"Just now. On the porch. What's going on Claire? I thought you have been keeping something from me this entire time. Are you having an affair with Wesker?"

Those words made her disgusted, and she felt hurt that Chris would accuse her of that so quickly. Claire quickly tried to think up a story, but she couldn't blame Chris for his thoughts. That's what it looked like. Wesker did kiss her on her cheek on the front porch.

Chris was trying not to overreact but he could tell his sister was trying to come up with something. "Claire, no more secrets! Tell me the truth! I'm your brother for God's sakes I can handle it. We've never kept anything from each other. Why now?"

Claire wasn't about to tell her brother the truth. At least not yet. She swallowed hard, deciding to go with the flow.

"Okay, yes. I'm having an affair with Wesker."

It was like a slap to the face for Chris. He was stunned. And instead of paling any more, he grew green. He took a moment to try and gather himself. His fists were shaking and he brought them up to his face to rub as if trying to wake from a nightmare.

"Why? How? When? How long? Claire, you can't be serious…Albert Wesker? My boss? The captain of the STARS forces? He's a lot older than you. I can't even begin to digest this."

"It just…happened. I'm sorry, Chris. I should have told you sooner. You're right. This relationship is wrong. I'll tell Wes…Albert that it's over. That way there is no awkwardness between you guys. You can just move on like nothing happened, don't even have to talk to him about it."

Chris was shaking his head halfway through her words. "No, I'm going to go talk to Wesker right now. This doesn't feel right. He should have said something to me. Asked my permission or something."

He was turning for the front door. Claire should have known better. Her bullheaded brother was going to confront Wesker about this, and then they were all dead.

"Chris! He doesn't need your permission I'm a grown woman dammit! Stay here! I said I would take care of it!"

Chris was grabbing his keys for the truck, opening the door and turning to her. "Sorry, sis. This is just a guy thing. I'll be back."

It was no use. He shut the front door in her face despite her pleas for him to stop and stay. She was pissed, worried, and hurt all at the same time. She couldn't blame Chris for his behavior though. For so many years he had acted as protective brother, guardian, and parent since their parents' passing. He would always be like this with her. They only had each other, and Chris wanted the best for her. But now his protectiveness over her was going to get them both killed.

* * *

When Wesker arrived back at the precinct, he made his way up to the STARS office, only to find Chris and Jill missing. Barry must have read his captain's expression studying the empty desks as Wesker strolled for his own desk.

"Chris wasn't feeling well so Jill took him home. She should be back anytime."

Joseph snickered farther back, flipping through a newspaper. "I blame the cafeteria food. You don't ever catch me eating that crap."

Wesker rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses as he got back to doing paperwork. Barry grumbled at his desk, glaring across to the younger officer. "Chris left for lunch, jackass. He wasn't feeling well when he got back."

"Oh…well…must have been Emmy's Diner then."

"Hey, don't dis Emmy's. They have great food," Brad stated behind him at his desk.

Joseph turned to look at Vickers. "Oh c'mon Chickenheart. That place is such a slum I wouldn't be surprised if I walked in there one of these days to see people eating each other instead."

Barry heaved a sigh and got back to work, barely shaking his head. It wasn't long before the office door was opening again, and Jill entered, closing the door behind her. She beheld Wesker as she made her way to her desk, located by Chris's.

"Chris is home now. He was sick, Captain Wesker."

"What a shame," Wesker answered, not even looking up from his work. He kept up his work, until he felt eyes on him. He looked up only to see Jill giving him a perplexed look, as if she had something she needed to ask him.

Wesker took off his sunglasses, tossing him onto his desk and returning her stare. "Yes Jill? Is there something the matter?"

She had opened her mouth to speak, but then at the last moment thought better of it. Jill lowered her eyes to the work that was stack at her desk, sighing. "No, sir."

He could tell that something was on her mind, but didn't push her.

The next forty minutes went on the same as most afternoons did. Forest Speyer and Richard Aiken came in early for Bravo's shift. Wesker paid them no notice, even as Forest asked Jill where Chris was and she answered him.

"Captain Wesker? Enrico told us you said something about hiring a new Bravo member? One that specializes in medical and chemical as rear security? Is that true?" Richard asked from his desk as he got his paperwork ready.

Wesker nodded. "Yes. Kenneth put in the request since he doesn't think he will be working for much longer. So I have been searching through some resumes. I think I have found a candidate that would work perfectly for Bravo."

"Is it a woman?" Joseph asked, failing to hide the excitement in his voice.

Wesker glared at Frost, and since his sunglasses were off, poor Joseph got the full blunt of those piercing blue-grey eyes to the point that he made himself smaller at his desk.

Barry sighed. "If 'ol Ken goes, I might have to retire myself."

"Don't you dare, Barry," Jill laughed.

"Yes, that would be a shame, Barry. You don't want me to give weapons supervisor to Frost do you?" Wesker inquired."

Just as Joseph was smiling at the statement, Barry destroyed the moment. "Hell no!"

"Didn't think so," Wesker answered.

_"Captain Wesker?"_ came the receptionist's voice on his intercom phone on his desk. Wesker pressed the button and answered it.

"Yes, Miss Flaye?"

_"Chris Redfield is down here in the main hall and wishes to speak to you about an important matter alone."_

"I'll be down in a moment." His eyes caught Jill's as she seemed concerned about Chris's sudden arrival back at the precinct. He grabbed his sunglasses and put them back on.

Wesker had no idea what it was Chris desired to speak to him about, but he got out of his seat and started heading for the exit. "Barry, you are in charge until I get back."

"Yes sir."

He made his way down to the main hall. Traffic was a mess in the police station with officers coming and going in the hallways, as well as other employees and even citizens. It had yet again started snowing outside which was no surprise there.

He found Chris waiting near the entrance, looking disheveled and pale. It was unlike Chris to do this so Wesker knew something had to be up. Chris paced back and forth looking disturbed and deep in thought, but as soon as he caught Wesker heading his way he froze on the spot.

"What seems to be the problem, Chris?" Wesker asked.

"Can we go somewhere private?" Chris asked, voice cracking.

"After you," Wesker sighed, pointing to the front double doors.

The two men headed outside onto the front courtyard of the precinct. Chris led his captain around the side of the large building to where he had his truck parked in the parking lot. All the while, the sharpshooter was twitchy and wouldn't look Wesker in the eye.

"Spit it out, Chris. This isn't like you."

It took Chris a long moment, as if he was thinking his words over very carefully. Wesker was curious yet annoyed at the same time. It was unlike Chris to act this way, and this raised a flag to him, but at the same time, Chris was wasting his time, especially standing there messing with his hands.

"I saw you at my house with Claire. I saw you leaving…I saw you…kiss her cheek. I questioned Claire all about it. She says you two are in a relationship. Is this true?"

It took Wesker's complete willpower not to smirk or laugh at his subordinate's words. The accusation was beyond ridiculous, but yet at the same time, Wesker felt thrilled that Claire would come up with such a precarious story to protect her brother that put her even more under his control. One that he would very much enjoy exploiting.

Wesker decided to play along. "She wasn't lying."

Chris paled to a ghost white. He clenched his jaw hard. Wesker was amused at all the emotions that quickly flooded over Chris. There was anger and sadness and worry. There was also sickness.

"Why? W-why? Why not tell me? Why not ask me for permission?" Chris was flabbergasted, and was trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Permission? Last I recall, Claire is an adult."

"But she is my sister. My little sister."

"Look Chris, I understand your family history and why you are so protective of Claire, but the truth of the matter is that she can make her own choices. Do you honestly think I am the first man to come into her life? She cannot talk to you about any relationship for fear of this. All you are doing now is pushing her away."

Chris was quiet for a long moment, frustrated in thought. "I just…it's wrong. I'm sorry Captain Wesker, but it's wrong. I'll quit the STARS before I allow this."

Wesker chuckled. "Don't talk politics with me Redfield. If you want to risk your career over a decision your sister made than you are much more foolish than I thought. As one of my top officers, I highly suggest you take that back. You would be disrespecting the whole city with wasted talent back on the streets. Remember that I gave you a chance when no one else would after that stunt you pulled with your higher officers in the Air Force."

Chris lowered his eyes. "Yes sir."

"Good," Wesker growled. "Now how about you go home and actually listen to your sister for once? I respect your feelings in this Chris, and you should respect Claire's."

Chris let out a long, drained sigh. "Yes Captain Wesker."

"I'll stop by in an hour after my shift is over so the three of us can discuss this together."

Chris merely nodded at his captain, turning to get into his pickup and start it up. Wesker didn't even look back as he headed back inside the police station to get back to work. The whole situation amused him despite the frustration it caused. However, Wesker realized that this was becoming a growing problem. In an hour when he left here to Chris's house, he was going to kill both Redfield siblings dead.

It was such a shame too. He was disappointed in the fact that he was going to have to do it. Claire intrigued him, and he knew that she could have been useful to him in so many ways.

_I could always just kill Chris and keep Claire around a little bit longer. After all, I wouldn't want her story about us having an affair to be a lie._

Wesker smirked at the thought as he looked forward to the end of his shift.

* * *

**A/N: Holy crap! How long have I been gone? It's like I am back from the dead or something! So sorry for the absence peeps! Life has been ultra rough on me this year! I hope to start getting back on track here so I can update stories and upload stories like I used to! Anyways, I know everyone has been waiting eagerly for this story to be updated, and so I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment after so long of being absent. Thanks to everyone who still keeps in touch with me even as I had become a recluse this year lol. Please enjoy this chapter, considering we all are going to be looking forward to RESIDENT EVIL 6 TOMORROW! :D**


	11. Chapter 11: Down the Rabbit Hole

**Chapter 11: Down the Rabbit Hole**

Claire lost track of time once Chris left the house. It took all of her willpower to not break down. She paced the house in thought, too lost to finish putting up the Christmas decorations she and Chris started that morning. She kept wondering what she did to earn this punishment. God was obviously not helping her out with this.

She needed to end this game of cat and mouse. If Chris ended up dead because of her, she would never forgive herself. But that also meant no more taking Wesker's threats or orders. She would be going out with a bang and she was going to make sure she took Wesker with her.

She hadn't realized she had acted on those thoughts by going to Chris' gun cabinet and picking out a Glock. She loaded it and was taking it back to her bedroom when she heard the door opening up.

She rushed downstairs, hoping it was her brother, alive and well, and not Wesker coming to finish the job. She just about collapsed when she saw a depressed Chris enter into his home, shutting the front door with a sigh.

He caught sight of his sister on the steps and motioned her down to the living room. Claire slowly walked down to greet him. She was worried by his appearance, but also very glad to see him okay. As she thought about it, she realized Wesker would not have done anything to Chris in public.

"I talked to Wesker."

Claire lowered her eyes. If only she could have come up with a better story than letting him believe this. "How did it go?"

"Actually, he made me realize something I should have a long time ago."

"What?"

"You are a grown woman. I realize that I have prevented you from doing many things over my sense of protection. You can take care of yourself. I know that. You are strong and smart, but yet I don't allow you to be. I never listen to you when I should. I should honor your choices more and support you no matter what. Realizing this has also made me understand that I have kept you from being happy many times. I'm sorry Claire. Wesker is right. I should listen to you more and respect your feelings no matter what. I just can't believe it took my own captain to make me realize all this."

Well there was something she hadn't been expecting. It took Wesker to fix something that had been an important problem between the Redfield siblings for years. Claire could understand. Chris respected and looked up to his captain because he had no clue of the truth. Although she was grateful for Chris' words, she just would not be able to handle her brother changing his ways on her behalf.

"Oh Chris. You don't have to apologize. I love you just the way you are. Don't ever change. Got it?"

Chris slowly smiled, nodding at his sister. "Thanks, sis. I am sorry for being so narrow sighted lately."

A knocking on the front door made the siblings grow quiet, their eyes shifting to the entrance of the house. Chris heaved a sigh, walking towards it. The hair on the back of Claire's neck stood up. "Must be Wesker. He said he was going to come by so we could all talk. Look sis…I don't approve of your relationship with him but…I want you to be happy."

"But Chris I'm not-"

"I'm sure Wesker will explain it all so I can understand a bit better."

_Oh I'm sure he will, just before he kills the two of us…_

Sure enough it was Wesker, and Chris let him in with a dip of his head. "Captain. Good to see you came so we can talk."

Claire cursed that she had put the Glock up in her room. The smirk he gave her as he entered into the house gave her chills. He soon turned to face her brother.

"Well I imagine you would like some answers, Chris. Did you talk to Claire?"

Chris glanced over at her, not noticing how she had frozen in place. "Well, not really. I wanted to wait until you got here. But I did apologize to her. I realized you were right on that note, Captain Wesker. Claire is an adult, and I forget that all too often."

"Indeed, she is," Wesker answered, walking over to Claire. He kissed her on her forehead and slid his lips down to her ear so he could whisper a soft threat into it. "Better play along nicely, dear heart, or I will just kill him here and now, right in front you."

Claire barely held a straight face, her heart skipping from the threat. She smiled warmly, glancing from her watching brother to Wesker as he pulled back from her.

She reached out to touch his hand. Her own fingers were shaking, but she hoped Chris didn't notice them. She forced herself a sick smile, hoping Chris would buy it."Yes."

"Well, Chris, if it would help your feelings on this matter, Claire was the one who asked me out."

"Really?"

Claire swallowed, wondering exactly how much he was going to make her suffer. "Uhh, yeah."

"How did that come about? When you went to ask him to give me some days off?"

"No, uh, after that. When I went walking on the Arklay trails…Albert was there. One thing led to another, and well, now we are here."

Chris was very noticeably distressed by her words. He rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head. Even though Claire could tell her brother just wanted to explode, he kept quiet.

"Sorry, I just…never expected this to happen."

Claire smiled weakly, wishing she could just tell him the truth. It hurt her to make him believe this was all real. She moved forward, really needing to hug her brother. Chris returned the hug, smiling, as relief washed over him. He pushed her back, but kept hold of her shoulders.

"So, does he treat you right?"

Her stomach churned, but she smiled at him. "Yes, he is a complete gentleman."

Chris let her go, and Claire slowly returned over to Wesker's side. Her brother extended his hand. Wesker took it into a firm handshake.

"Captain…"

"Chris."

"Thanks for…treating her right."

"My pleasure. She's a good girl." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, rubbing on her.

Claire smiled up at Wesker, even though on the inside she felt like attacking him. Chris, seeing her smile, nodded and smiled as well. He was still unsure of the whole situation, but he was content to see Claire happy.

Chris wanted to laugh about it as he thought it over. He wondered if this meant he should ask his captain over for Christmas dinner, the whole thought seeming bizarre. An odd silence took over the living room as his sister played restlessly with her fingers, and Wesker's eyes seemed set on her behind his dark shades. As Chris started reanalyzing certain things, his special force training started to kick in, and he realized that something wasn't adding up.

He frowned. Thinking of William Birkin, and how he had to be connected to this, as well as his sister's odd behavior. Then again, it could have been his qualms of the whole situation brewing up these feelings to make him second guess himself. She had to have been nervous because Wesker was over here for the first time, now that their relationship was out in the open. That had to be it. He was just going to have to get used to this relationship, as Claire grew more comfortable over time. Even though he was still unsettled by it., Chris was happy that there was nothing else going on that was putting him on edge. William Birkin had to have been telling the truth about just giving her a ride home after getting the dog bite, nothing more. It was best if Chris just dropped it and focused on Claire now.

The house phone started to ring. He looked between Wesker and Claire once more before turning his back on them to go into the kitchen and answer it.

"Hello? This is Chris."

_"Chris! It's Jill! You need to get to St. Mercy's Hospital! Ralph Hendricks has been assaulted, and they say he isn't going to make it! Barry and I are on our way over there now."_

The news hit with such shock that Chris couldn't respond. He heard Jill's voice asking him if he was still there, and he shook out of it. "I'm on my way."

He slammed the phone back onto the receiver and was off. Chris grabbed up his coat and keys and stopped momentarily at the front door to look to Wesker and Claire.

"Chris?" Claire inquired, her tone full of worry.

"Ralph Hendricks is in the hospital by an assault and they don't think he is going to make it. I'll be back. Please watch over my sister, Captain Wesker."

He opened the front door and slammed it shut as he went out. He had known Ralph for many years since they lived on the same block, and Ralph had been on the force for fifteen years and was great friends with Barry. He had just spoken to Ralph the other day when he told Chris about seeing Claire in the car with William Birkin and giving him Birkin's license plate number.

Chris was trying to wrap his head around it. It could have happened to anyone. Ralph was a police officer. These things just happened. But Chris couldn't shake the uncanny feeling that there was something more to this.

* * *

Claire couldn't believe what had just happened. Chris hung up the phone and left her alone with his captain. Ralph Hendricks was dying and Chris was compelled to go see his neighbour and fellow police officer. But it all made sense once Wesker turned to her with that dark smirk on his face.

"Oh, I will Chris."

He started walking towards her with smooth, confident steps, and she responded by backing away.

"You…you did this…to Ralph." Her back soon bumped into a wall, and she wasn't moving anymore.

"You are such a clever girl, dear heart," Wesker chuckled. He stopped within inches of her. "However, I did not directly perform this per se. It was more of an order from the many resources I have within this city."

"Why?" Claire asked, glaring at him.

"A warning, my love."

Her heart skipped. She didn't know if it was from his warning, or from him saying „my love", but she forced herself to not dwell on it.

"A warning?!"

Wesker dipped his head. "Yes. I just want to make sure you know what exactly is at stake here. Ralph Hendricks will die tonight because I know he was involved in why Chris has suddenly started snooping around. And they will never find his killer. Do know that it was my intention this evening to step through that door over there to kill both you and your brother instead? I could have both of you killed with no chance of anyone finding out anything, or I could simply make the both of you disappear off the face of this planet, with no one to ever find you."

Claire clenched her jaw. "Yeah, I haven't forgotten the first time you told me."

"Fair enough. At least this way you know I am not bluffing. Ralph Hendricks' death is on your head. Don't make it your brother as well."

"I understand."

"As for your clever yet amusing story on us having an affair…well, just know that I will have no problem exploiting that scenario to my advantage."

He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face with a soft caress. The touch made her skin crawl, yet at the same time it gave her chills. It had her heart going, and she was starting to feel like a trapped rabbit about to have a heart attack.

"If you are good for just a while longer, I will be able to cash in your worth to me, and then I will let you and your brother off the hook."

The words were enough to perk her interest, and she had to struggle to maintain control over acting out on that hope and excitement. She knew better than to trust him.

"What do you mean? What are you using me for?"

"Business, dear heart. Simply business."

"I don't believe you."

He smirked, his lips inches from hers. "I'm a man of my word, and that you can count on, dear heart."

He kissed her after those words. Claire was stunned, body freezing as she tried not to get lost in the kiss. She focused on the hate, and before she was in danger to losing to her body, a pager went off and he pulled away. She was left with weak legs and confused thoughts.

Wesker checked his pager, sighing. "William always ruins my fun. Well, dear heart, I better go see what he needs."

Claire couldn't believe what had just happened, and her mind was trying to catch up. She could only nod at him, her stomach growing sick.

"Remember our agreement. I don't want to have to kill you after that. You have a good evening, dear heart."

She stayed where she was, not moving. Claire didn't want to move until he was gone. He acted like he was going to leave, and then paused just two steps away. He slowly turned back to her, a smirk easing onto his face.

"Then again…I did promise Chris I would look after you. And we are a couple after all. I think it would be better if you came with me, my love."

He pulled her away from the wall with gentle force. Claire didn't want to go with him, but she knew she had no choice. He pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist, making her shiver from his touch as his fingers touched her skin. As they walked out the front door, her thoughts went to Chris and the dying Ralph, knowing it was her fault he was going to die.

Wesker kissed her on the temple once they reached his Jaguar. He was a gentleman and opened the passenger door for her. Claire hesitated, but then slid into the luxury sports car. Once the door shut on her, she knew there was no escape. Not from the trip in the Jaguar, but from the whole affair dilemma. She knew Wesker was going to take full advantage of it, adding to his manipulation over her.

And for that, she worried for herself, because she knew he had no problem taking complete control, even against her will. Because this was a game of power, and she had no choice but to lose against him.

* * *

William sipped on his coffee, the underground laboratory in the sewers of Raccoon City feeling a bit colder than usual from the icy temperatures above. It was less than two weeks until Christmas, and he had zoned out through Annette's entire rant of what they were getting for Sherry and something about fruit cake.

"I swear I didn't say anything to him. He just knows you that well," he said, looking to Ada, who also enjoyed a mug of coffee.

She rolled her eyes. "He had no idea I was going there to see Claire. He was going to see her on his own accord. I swear, Will, he is getting a bit too involved with the poor girl. Do you think he has feelings for her?"

"Are you jealous?" William laughed, but a quick, warning glare from her made him choke and he quickly took another slurp from his cup. "Oh c'mon, Ada. It's Albert. He's like the Grinch who stole Christmas! Little, itty bitty, shriveled up heart! He has no feelings for Claire, though I wouldn't put it pass him to use her in a certain way."

Ada tapped her nails on the side of her mug. "It's not like him to do one-night stands either. Unlike you before you got married, Mister Manwhore Birkin."

"Hey! Not so loud! SHHHH!" William paused to make sure Annette in the other room didn't hear as she was preparing her own coffee in the break room. He relaxed. "I can't help that I'm a ladies' man! Your gender just swoons over me like I'm an alpha male!"

Ada rolled her eyes, though she did smile at the mad scientist.

"Besides, I remember Albert having that fling with that woman scientist that was here a few years back…what was her name? She was only here for temporary…Miller? No, no…um…"

"Oh, you mean Muller. What was her first name? God, I was happy to see her go, what a bitch."

"Yeah, that's her! Gorgeous red head! Daaaaamn, is all I gotta say. And no, she wasn't a bitch, she was super nice. You just didn't like her because Albert had a one-night stand with her and not you."

"William, don't pretend you don't know what happened between Albert and I."

Annette was entering the break room with a fresh cup of coffee. She joined William and Ada at the break table in the lounge.

"Ada, were you able to get to Claire and tell her about her brother?"

The female assassin nodded. "Yeah, but Albert caught me in the act. I better hang back if I want to help Claire out any."

"I just hope they get that crazy brother of hers to stop snooping around. Did you know he assaulted me at lunch today demanding answers? He thought I was having an affair with Claire! The nerve of him! Though Claire is pretty hot."

Annette glared at him as she was sipping her coffee. William chuckled weakly with Ada shaking her head.

"And that is exactly why Albert has feelings for her and I, William Birkin, who is happily married, do not!"

There came a knock on the break room door. The women didn't even flinch, but William noticed they were looking right at him. He sat his coffee cup down, and slid out of his chair.

"Don't anyone get up at once now!" he snorted sarcastically.

He answered the door, and before him stood a Russian mercenary that looked all too familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place his name. He had silver hair that was buzz cut, and had icy green eyes. There were a few scars on his face. He wore mercenary attire that he immediately recognized for Sergei Vladmir's men in UBCS.

"Yes, how can I help you?" William greeted.

"I need to speak to Albert Wesker."

"He's not here at the moment. I'll relay the message." William went to shut the door, but the Russian mercenary easily busted through, making William slide with the door. "Okay, come right on in…"

"Nicholai? Wow, haven't seen you in a while," Ada greeted.

Nicholai smirked. "Same to you, comrade. Do you know where Albert is?"

"He's with Claire more than likely."

"Who?"

"I'll page him," William grumbled. "Damn Russians are always in a rush!"

Nicholai glared at William's back as the eccentric scientist sat down at his place at the table. He was getting his pager out, grumbling to himself as his wife shook her head.

"This must be William Birkin."

"Yes, that is him. Easy to recognize," Ada laughed. "So, Nicholai, why are you here? Why do you need to talk to Albert? I thought you two didn't talk much anymore because you work for Sergei?"

"We don't, but he asked that I return a favor to him," Nicholai replied. "I killed someone for him. I just wanted to run by him that the deed was done."

"Was it one of the Redfields?" Annette asked, perking up.

"No, just some old police officer. He did mention some Redfields. What do they have to do with anything?"

"It's a long story," Ada sighed.

"Alright, I paged him. He should be here within half an hour. Make yourself at home."

"I will. Thank you, comrade."

"Oh, Nicholai, if you wouldn't mind. Don't mention any of this to Sergei. I'm sure Albert will explain more."

Nicholai nodded at Ada. "Sure thing, Ada."

The four Umbrella workers sat around the break room table to wait for Wesker to show up. Several minutes with by without a word. A thick silence enveloped the room as William slightly glared at the relaxed Russian mercenary. Annette got up to wash out her cup, having finished her coffee. Ada decided to start the conversation, and smiled over at William.

"What's wrong, William? I've never seen you so quiet in such an amount of time."

"I don't trust this guy," William stated bluntly, motioning to Nicholai.

"Good," he chuckled.

"Will, he's a friend of Albert's. All of his friends are slimy, untrustable scumbags."

"Yeah, you are ri-hey! I'm a friend of his!"

Annette was smirking. "We better get back to work, honey. Come on."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute. Albert will be looking for me since I paged him."

"And after our little exchange outside Claire's house, I better be making myself scarce," Ada said, getting up. She cleaned out her mug and then headed for the door.

She turned back to William and Nicholai, as Annette had already headed out for the laboratory. The two men where at opposite ends of the table, glaring at each other. "Nicholai, be nice. He's a friend."

"Fine. See you around, Ada."

"You too."

The female assassin left the break room. Again, silence filled the room as the brilliant Umbrella scientist stared down the collected mercenary. Nicholai practically ignored William as he sipped his coffee, keeping his eyes down.

"So how do you know Albert?"

"We met at Rockfort when I was still in training. I was a guard for the Ashford family. He was there on business with the Ashfords a few years back. Wesker pulled some strings to get me where I am now. We've been comrades ever since."

William was wiggling his pencil, making it look like it was made of rubber. "Oh yeah? Well, I've known him since we were kids! We were both under James Marcus as his prodigies!"

"Didn't you two kill him?"

"Yes we did!"

The door to the breakroom opened, and the two men looked up. Albert Wesker was strolling in, but he wasn't alone. William was surprised to see Claire back here. Wesker had kept the door open to let her through and she entered, arms crossed and head slightly lowered.

"Albert! Finally, you are here. Nicholai is here to talk to you."

Nicholai was already out of his chair and walking over to Albert. "It's good to see you again, comrade, but we do need to talk in private."

"Alright," Wesker nodded his head. "After you, my friend."

He looked over to William, a small smirk coming on his lips. "William, would you be so kind as to watch over my new "girlfriend" as I talk business? It shouldn't take long."

"Ahh, sure," William answered, baffled.

Wesker and Nicholai left the breakroom to go discuss their business privately. Nicholai looked closely at Claire before shutting the door behind him, as if surprised that Wesker had such a young, beautiful girlfriend. Then the door shut behind him. Claire seemed to relax a bit more, and she made her way to sit down at the breakroom table. William weakly smiled at her, grabbing up Nicholai's leftover cup.

"Want some coffee, dear?"

With a surrendering sigh, Claire's forehead connected with the table.

* * *

**A/N: Wow this has taken much longer than I anticipated! I want to dedicate this chapter to my awesome friend Ravenlaughter! She did so much work on it, from giving me so many new ideas, to editing and making some changes for the better for me! Dang girl you practically wrote it lol! But seriously, thank you for giving me some new ideas and all the help because I was not ready to give up on this story just yet! ;) For those of you who are loyal readers to this story and have been asking me to update, here you are and I am sorry for the wait! Hope you all enjoyed it! The chapter name 'Down the Rabbit Hole' is of course a reference to Alice in Wonderland, as Claire is getting deeper and deeper into this conspiracy, Wesker's web, and all his coherts. Again, this was Ravenlaughter's choice of title, so good job my friend, I thought it was genius! XD Thanks for all the favs/alerts/reviews this past few days, and you all have a good week! :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Into the Lion's Den

**Chapter 12: Into the Lion's Den  
**

The STARS Captain led the Russian mercenary throughout the halls of the underground Umbrella facility. Being nicely nestled in the sewers of Raccoon City, it was a labyrinth of tunnels, labs, and departments for the Umbrella staff that worked down here.

Wesker didn't take Nicholai far from the break room that William and Claire were left in. Their best chance to being alone down here was to step out into one of the sewer tunnels that led away from the complex into dark, slimy passageways. The running water below the catwalk they stood on was murky and questionable, but Wesker hardly took notice to it.

Rats scurried under their feet in a hurry as they stepped along the catwalk. Nicholai gritted his teeth and slammed a boot down on top of one. A wet crunch followed on it, and then the silver haired man turned to his comrade, a satisfied look on his face.

"I did what you asked. Ralph Hendricks is dead. Simple enough job. But why an old nobody like him?"

"A lesson for the Redfield girl," Wesker simply replied, his head nodding towards the way they came.

"Isn't she the one Sergei wanted dead because she found out too much? Why is she still alive?"

"She's useful to me alive, not dead," Wesker snorted. "And I would appreciate it if you would not mention any of this to the Colonel. The last thing I need is for him to snoop around and risk ruining my hard work."

Nicholai slowly nodded. "Alright. I just don't understand how that girl could be so important."

Wesker chuckled softly. "And that is why she is with me and not you, comrade."

"Good point."

"Was it a clean job?"

Nicholai nodded. "Yes. I used a knife."

"How did he end up in the hospital? You should have finished him off."

"He had a partner with him. I was able to kill him, but had to bail before I could finish Hendricks. It was a fatal stab though. He should have died by the time he reached the hospital. And don't worry yourself too much, comrade, I wore a mask. They didn't see me."

"I figured with your Spetsnaz training that both would have been simple for you to kill with a knife," Wesker added.

Nicholai smirked, laughing. "Shit happens, my friend. I assure you the job went well though. Is there anyone else you would like me to kill before I depart?"

"Depart?" Wesker looked to him, having had his eyes on the water below.

"I am most likely getting transferred to Rockfort to help train UBCS personnel," Nicholai explained. The Russian shrugged. "I'll know in the next couple of days."

"Rising in the ranks, are we?" Wesker inquired, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "How about we take a rain check on your offer? I will let you know if I need anyone else disposed of."

"I'll keep in touch then. I hope your plans for the girl work out."

A sinister smirk eased on Wesker's face, followed by a matching chuckle. "Oh I know they will."

The mercenary studied him for a moment, his expression soon mirroring Wesker's. "Ahhh, I see. You, comrade, are brilliantly twisted. I guess having worked with Sergei for this long I have forgotten why people don't fuck with you."

Nicholai pushed away from leaning on the railing. The two men started heading back for the underground labs. It didn't take long for the shadowy sewer passageways to turn into white hallways of Umbrella's facility.

"I should head out."

Wesker dipped his head, walking beside him. "I'll walk you out."

* * *

William had just sat down a mug of hot coffee for the defeated and quiet Claire, when Annette burst back into the break room. Her eyes were narrowed as she glared upon her eccentric husband.

"Will! Didn't I tell you we had to get back to…ohh, sorry. Claire, I didn't know you were here."

Claire raised her head from the table, giving the older blonde woman a meek smile. "Yep. Here I am. Again."

"Albert told me to watch over his new girlfriend." William received a glare from both the redheaded teenager and his wife. Defensively, he raised his arms. "His words not mine!"

Annette heaved a sigh, a hand going to her hip. "What the...God, I don't even want to know. Fine. Just be sure to get back here as soon as possible."

"Yes, dear."

Mrs. Birkin slipped back out of the break room with one last look to Claire. Henpecked William sat down across from the young Redfield, who was quietly contemplating her coffee.

"More creamer or sugar?"

Claire jumped from her thoughts, looking up to him and barely shaking her head. "No, it's fine. Thank you, William."

"So...girlfriend, huh? I should have seen it coming...Albert always had a thing for redheads. He never listens to me."

Claire was quick to jump on him. "No! You got it all wrong."

"Really? Then why did Al say that?"

Claire sighed. "It was Chris…I was trying to protect him from finding out anymore so he wouldn't be killed. He accused me of having an affair with Wesker, so I told him that it was true to throw him off. I didn't think it would turn into this mess. And now...there seems no way out."

William rubbed the stubble on his chin, studying her. "So…Albert found out and is taking advantage…sounds like him."

Claire shot him a dark look. "What do you mean?"

William leaned back in his chair, picking his words carefully. "Look, I'm not gonna lie. Albert probably wanted you before this, especially if he was so quick to play along when you came up with the lie about having an affair with him. He wouldn't have played along if the thought hadn't crossed his mind before somehow. Lying to your brother just made it a lot easier and way more amusing for him to get what he desires. And Al _always_ gets what Al wants, take my word for it. He loves playing mind games and will have no problem exploiting your predicament to his advantage, that much is sure."

"Thanks, I already knew that," Claire growled, turning away. She pulled her knees up in the chair, wrapping her arms around her legs and staring down at the tiled floor. "He can do whatever he wants…as long as Chris stays safe and alive."

"Well, if it's any comfort, he wouldn't ever force you - he's way too confident to rely on violence when it comes to..." Will shortly had to clear his throat. "...such...things. Instead, he will make you want it."

"Yeah, like that's ever going to happen."

William gave a wry smile. "Al's a master manipulator...a silver-tongued snake. If you're not careful, he will get you to do whatever he wants before you even know what's happened. And with someone like you, he'll get all the more pleasure out of watching you fight back and squirm before you give in...it's part of the game you see."

Claire felt sick to her stomach - there was absolutely no way she was ever going to let that happen. Give in to him? Like hell! She was going to fight him with all that she could, and not just his doomed attempts to get into her pants. This dark game of cat and mouse had only just begun, and she would make sure she and Chris would make it out alive.

William had been studying her while she tried to process the information he had just given her. He exhaled deeply, got up from his chair and smiled weakly down at her. Dr. Birkin decided to change the subject to ease her mind. "Hungry? There are some bagels leftover from this morning that are still good. Lots of lunch food and snacks as well. Annette likes to stock up on groceries because often we are stuck here all night."

"No, thanks."

"I know what you need…one of my specialty sandwiches! I'll be right back."

Claire watched him head into the side room that held the kitchen area. It didn't take long before she heard him humming and rummaging through the cabinets and refrigerator. Claire twitched her lips, getting some amusement from him. She still wondered how William and Wesker could even be friends since they were such polar opposites. There was an unmistakable darkness to the erratic researcher that she noticed, most likely linked to the questionable experiments they did down here - research that she had been told to get killed for if she found out. But other than that, his nature seemed harmless enough. He was definitely a genius, eccentric even, but other than that he didn't seem interested in harming her.

William definitely knew Wesker the best, but Claire still wondered why he was helping her against his partner if they were such close buddies. While Birkin definitely came off as sweet and borderline trustable, Claire knew there had to be a motive for him as well. If there was a killer in William's eyes, she didn't see it. Then again, she hadn't seen the killer in Wesker's eyes when they first met either. The redheaded tomboy had always prided herself in being able to judge others, but knowing Wesker's murderous secret seemed to have destroyed that confidence within her completely.

William was still humming a song she didn't recognize when he came back to the table, a goofy smile on his handsome face. He put a plate with a very delicious looking sandwich down in front of her. It looked like some sort of chicken salad with croissant bread. She lifted the top croissant slice to peek at the inner filling. The chicken salad looked normal, save for the pieces of fruit blended in, as well as a crisp piece of fresh lettuce.

Claire glanced up at the genius researcher. He was grinning expectantly like he had been creating the mother of all sandwiches. She couldn't help but smile.

"My own recipe. Try it! I bet you'll love it."

Claire decided to not mention the fact that she hated chicken salad. He looked really giddy for her to be trying it, so she decided to humor him. She put the slice of croissant down and picked up the sandwich to take a savory bite. It tasted surprisingly good! Her eyes had to have lit up from tasting the delicious treat, for she heard William laugh contentedly.

"No one can resist my chicken salad sandwich - not even Al!"

"It's really good, Will!"

"Thank you. You know, strictly off the record: it's my secret weapon," He added jokingly, bowing down to her and covering his mouth with his hand. Birkin watched as she wolfed down the rest of the sandwich. "I can make you another if you want...?"

"No, this is fine. Thank you." Claire smiled between two bites.

William eased down into his chair across from her once more, nodding. He was quiet for a moment, thinking over something with his arms crossed. His green eyes looked to her in a matter of moments. "So...do you mind if I ask you something?"

Claire stiffened slightly. "What?"

"Is it just you and your brother? You've never mentioned any other family. You guys are young enough…where are your parents?"

Claire lowered her eyes to her empty plate. "They died a long time ago…in a car accident. I was eleven. Chris and I stuck together for a bit before he went off to the Air Force to try and make us some more money. I was able to stay with our neighbor who became our guardian because she had been close friends with my mom. But eventually, Chris got kicked out after a few years. When he came back, we moved down here from Denver."

"No grandparents, aunts, or uncles?"

Claire shook her head. "No, just us. Both our parents were an only child, and our grandparents from both sides have already passed on."

"Wow…I'm sorry - I mean, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Claire interrupted. "How 'bout you?"

"Orphaned as well, but I was just a bit younger than you. Only child. I was brought here to be raised by James Marcus. It's where I met Albert. We were both in the same boat so to speak, so we became close as kids…like brothers. James raised us both."

"So what happened to James? Is he still alive?"

William uneasily cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Uh, no. He…passed on."

Claire could tell he wasn't giving her the wholehearted truth of the story, but decided to let it go for now. She picked up her plate and took it into the kitchen area to put it into the sink. When she came back, William was already standing and seemed deep in thought. He seemed as though he wanted to tell her something important. The researcher opened his mouth once they were standing next to each other again; obviously he was trying to speak in private as long as they still had the chance to, but then the door opened.

Looking over, Claire's heart skipped a beat as Wesker entered into the break room. He was pulling off his shades, and his intense, icy blue-grey eyes were set upon her and William like they had committed an unspeakable crime.

* * *

By the time Chris arrived at the hospital and met up with Jill and Barry, it was already too late; Ralph Hendricks was dead. His body laid on a bed in the ER, a stark white sheet covering his lifeless form.

Chris stared down at the sheet covered body, shock taking over him as his mind struggled to accept this turn of events and figure out exactly what was going on. This couldn't have been a coincidence, not after all that has been going on. Ralph had been Chris's neighbor…a fellow police officer. He should have been here on time to say goodbye.

When they were pushed out of the room by hospital staff, the three Alpha STARS members returned to the hospital lobby to talk and recover from the shock. Chris was staring out one of the windows, noticing that snow had started to fall pretty heavily once more. He had one arm leaning on the wall next to it as he watched the snowflakes descend rapidly in the darkness of the icy night.

He slowly turned to Jill and Barry, who were just a solemn as he was. "Did you guys get to talk to him before he…passed?"

Jill shook her head. "No. He had been in critical condition upon arriving here."

"According to the facts so far, Ralph and his partner Henry Lowe had just gotten off their shift and were planning on going to Ellie's Diner. They were about to leave their watch near the park when the killer took them by surprise and attacked them. Henry died at the scene from his stab wounds. So far the motive is still completely unclear. It was almost like...an execution. Revenge perhaps?" Barry explained.

"How did they get this much info if Ralph had been out?"

"They have a witness. He's already at the police station I think," Jill answered.

"Who's taking over the case?"

"Chief Irons of all people," his partner answered with an unmistakably annoyed undertone.

Chris grimaced at the name, but soon his brows furrowed. Brian Irons was the Chief of Police in Raccoon City which meant he didn't take over just any case. On top of that, he was a notorious scumbag who didn't care about anyone but himself - or at least that was Chris's humble opinion anyway.

"Why Irons? That doesn't make sense at all."

Barry shrugged. "They were both police officers back in the day. Maybe out of respect? Anyway, there isn't much we can do about it. If the case isn't closed by the RPD it will have to come to STARS."

Before Chris could voice his opinion in the matter of Irons and the case, they heard heavy footsteps coming their way in a hurry. All three turned to see Robert Kendo decked out in bulky winter clothing. He was a tall, stout man with dark hair and brown eyes. If one didn't know of his good nature, he would come off as intimidating. His coat and dark pants were covered in snow drift, and his boots were tracking in snow that had already begun to melt on the tile of the hospital floor from the temperature difference. They were all good friends with the towering gun shop owner, especially Barry. Chris knew the two men went way back to even their younger years. Kendo had created the Samurai Edge specialized Beretta that all STARS members were issued with.

Ralph had been a gun nut just like Barry. And in so, he was also good friends with both Robert Kendo and Barry. Chris assumed it had been Barry who called Kendo here as well.

"How is he?"

Barry slowly shook his head. "He…didn't make it."

Robert opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It took him a whole moment to be able to procure any noise. "God, no…"

The gun shop owner slowly turned away, rubbing his forehead. They watched his large shoulders tense in, and heard him whispering, though they couldn't understand his words. Barry put a hand on his old friend's shoulder and patted him.

"Can you take me to him?" Robert asked.

Barry nodded. He then looked to Chris and Jill. "I'm going to stay here awhile longer with Robert. You two better get going before the storm gets too bad. Chris, do you mind dropping Jill off? I brought her here with me."

Chris dipped his head. "No problem. You two take care."

It wasn't the best thing to say, but in that moment, there were no words that could be said to make anyone feel better. Barry twitched his lips, but he soon left with Robert to go to Ralph's room.

As much as he wanted to stay, Chris knew Barry was right. At the rate the snow was falling, they could get stuck at the hospital. Chris needed to get back to Claire. He couldn't risk anything happening between her and Wesker while he was away. The older Redfield rather wanted to die than catch his sister and her..._boyfriend_...- he almost choked at that thought - doing unimaginable things, so he hoped they had been behaving while he was gone. He felt partly guilty for worrying about such trivial things when a friend and fellow officer had just died a harsh and painful death. Then again, he was still in shock and unable to think straight - the bad news was still too fresh and his nerves too raw. His mind was still struggling to accept what had happened, so it was better to just go home and figure everything out there.

"Chris?"

He jumped, not realizing how deep in thought he had been. The S.T.A.R.S. officer turned to Jill, who looked somewhat concerned at him. "Huh?"

"I asked if you're ready. Are you alright?"

Chris eased a weak, but reassuring smile to his partner. "Yeah, let's go. There's nothing left we can do here. I'll take you home."

"If it's okay with you…I'd rather come to your house."

Chris knew Jill well enough to know what she meant under that subtle gesture of permission - she didn't want to be alone right now. He assumed it was partly because she wanted trusted company to help her feel better about this day's events, and partly so she could keep an eye on him to make sure he was okay.

Chris gave her a weak smile and extended his arm invitingly. Jill slowly smiled as well, glancing into his eyes before wrapping her arm around his. They walked together out into the cold night outside, where snow was being swept in by an icy wind. Chris led her towards his truck, their coats bracing them from the wind. They were lucky his truck was four wheel drive, because at this rate they were probably going to need it.

Chris opened the passenger door for Jill, helping her inside, before shutting the door and running around to his side to get in the truck. He ignited the engine, and soon the Alpha STARS partners were headed home, wondering what else this evening might bring.

* * *

Whatever it was that William was going to say to her was instantly vanquished. She could see Will's face fall, and he pointedly avoided looking at her as he quietly moved away. Claire was upset Wesker had interrupted her conversation with Dr. Birkin just now. What if it had been something important? She watched William go over to the table they had been sitting at, scooping up his lonely, half-emptied cup of coffee to take a drink. In the process, he had wiped any signs that showed he had been nervous about his old friend's arrival. He flashed Al a mischievous smile.

"Did you have a nice chat with your Russian friend? He sure was a grouch…no sense of humor at all."

The younger Redfield would have relaxed from William's tactful move to clear the air had Wesker not been studying her closely the whole time. Without the shades his stare was even more unnerving than usual - even though she had to admit that he _did_ have captivating eyes.

Claire's heart jumped to her throat the second he eased her a pleasant smile, but thankfully his eyes soon left her. She almost staggered and felt like collapsing when the pressure that she had felt from his scrutiny fell off her like a crushing weight. Her stomach felt funny from the sudden and unexpected adrenaline rush. The lightheaded tomboy looked over to Wesker who, meanwhile, had offered William his most sarcastic grin.

"What's wrong, Will? Don't you like sharing my attention?"

Will snorted. "Me? Jealous? Hell no. I'm way more charming than he is. Funnier, too. _And_ better looking. Just for the record."

"Obviously there is no competition," Wesker sneered at his colleague. He then motioned to their female guest. "Was our..." The S.T.A.R.S. captain glanced at her with a smirk. "...Little Red Riding Hood here any hassle for you?"

Claire stared daggers at him in vain hopes that one of them might strike him down for good, but then she glanced to William, catching his eyes. He winked at her in an excessively conspiratorial manner.

"No trouble at all. Pleasant company as always, Al."

"Of course she is," Wesker's mouth twitched amusedly as he walked over to the redhead.

She instinctively stiffened as he came close, feeling his long fingers run slowly through her tousled ponytail in a soft, smooth caress. The young female almost jumped out of her skin when she felt his unexpected and tender touch. On the outside, Claire appeared calm and unaffected by his calculated and seemingly affectionate gesture; inwardly, she cringed and shuddered from the touch that felt way too intimate for her liking. Somehow though, she managed to keep a straight, indifferent face that seemed to fool her two companions.

William gaped, then quickly turned to take his coffee up into the kitchen area to soak it in the sink; he preferred to look busy while giving himself a moment to compose himself. When he entered back into the break room, he pointedly straightened his lab coat.

Birkin cleared his throat. "Well, I better get back to work, Al. You know how the misses gets if I don't stick to the schedule. I'm still grounded from last time," he joked.

"Will, we are going to have to talk later. You and me," Wesker warned, turning his head to give his friend his patented _I know what you're up to_ look. His voice now sounded more serious than before.

William hesitated near the door that would take him to his momentary escape and, eventually, to his laboratory. He nodded his head. "Sure, Al." Birkin waved to Claire. "See you later, Claire."

He turned and opened the door, but Claire had to stop him. She needed to know what he had planned on telling her, even though there was no chance now with Wesker right beside her. She had already called Will's name though, and he paused with his hand on the knob, looking over his shoulder at her.

"…Thanks for the sandwich."

He grinned, nodded one last time and left the break room for good, leaving her alone with the blond pain in her backside. _How did I end up here?!_ a shrill voice seemed to lament in her head. Claire shrugged it off and stepped away from Wesker, crossing her arms.

"Take me home."

She expected a warning glare but only received a mild smile in return. "What's wrong, dear heart? Don't you like spending time with..."your boyfriend"?"

"I need to be home before Chris gets back, he needs me."

Wesker chuckled darkly. "He won't need your support, he has Jill for that. I hear he's heading back home with her as we speak. It would be best if we left them alone, don't you think? Let them grieve together...or...whatever else comes up." He leered gleefully at her.

"You're keeping tabs on us?!" Ignoring his comment about the possibility of any..._lewd conduct_...between her brother and Jill back at their home, Claire stared at him, stunned by what he had just revealed to her.

She shouldn't have been surprised really, but it still flabbergasted her that they all were under constant surveillance. She shortly wondered if Chris would notice the observation at some point. Claire felt so enraged about being put in this position that she just wanted to jump in the double agent's face and scratch those haunting eyes out, attractive or not.

Wesker didn't say anything as Claire turned on her heels and started pacing the break room, looking more than a little frustrated and confused. Chris would still be worried about her when he arrived home with his precious baby sister and his boss nowhere to be found.

"We need to leave before the roads get too bad," Wesker informed patiently. "It's a good thing my house is closer from here..."

Her stomach churned. She slowly dropped her arms and turned back to face him, gaping at him like she couldn't believe what he was suggesting. "Are you kidding me?!"

"I have a phone back at my place. You can call your brother and tell him everything is alright. But if you want to stay down here by all means, be my guest. But without me here to protect you, it only takes the wrong person to discover you down here and you'll be killed. William and Annette won't protect you when it comes to threatening their research - or their position within Umbrella."

Claire clenched her jaw. "There is no way I'm going home with you! And I'm not gonna stay here either, you can't make me!" She stubbornly stomped her heavily booted foot on the unsuspecting floor tiles for emphasis.

A smirk slowly formed on Wesker's face at the display of her unexpected outburst. "Oh really? Would you prefer me to save you the trouble of hiding from security and lock you up in one of our...less comfortable holding cells down here?"

Claire knew it was a bluff, but he was right about what would happen if she was caught down here without him to save her ass - and possibly more - from an unpleasant interrogation. It wasn't like she had much of a choice anyway: he had made it clear that he had no intention of bringing her back home to her brother for now, and she would freeze to death a long time before she made it there on foot in this weather.

"Fine. Whatever. Let's go." She crossed her arms and turned her face away from him, but the scowl on her face barely managed to cover up her defeat and tiredness.

"Your wish is my command, my dear," Wesker taunted with thinly veiled triumph.

That just seemed to confirm Claire's sinking feeling that her night was just about to get much worse than it already was. She was going to be walking into the lion's den, no doubt about that. Wesker turned towards the exit to open the break room door for her, and hesitantly she followed his silent command after a moment. When they had left the underground labs behind and were heading back to the surface, Wesker's car already awaited them patiently, peacefully covered in heaps of pristine, untouched snow.

* * *

**A/N: All I can do is rub my palms together and laugh evilly over here lol. Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone, and thank you for also being patient for this chapter to come out! I need to give yet another shout out to my good friend Ravenlaughter for being my Beta Reader and also helping me with changes, and also taking time out of her schedule to really help me tune these chapters into a perfect finalized form. So thanks girl! :) You are so awesome! Everyone please have an awesome week, I am so enjoying the warm weather that is FINALLY here lol!**


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